First Minister welcomes final terms of reference for UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry

MARK Drakeford MS, First Minister has welcomed the final Covid-19 Inquiry Terms of Reference: Covid-19-Inquiry-Terms-of-Reference-Final

In a statement the First Minister said:

“I have had the opportunity to comment on these terms of reference and I would like to thank those who responded to the public consultation, and whose views have helped to inform the work of the inquiry.

The final terms of reference have been developed as part of an iterative process and I have been given the opportunity to comment on them at each stage. I have met representatives from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice (Cymru) to discuss the inquiry and terms of reference. Their experiences and comments were directly reflected in our representations about the terms of reference.

Through the public consultation Baroness Heather Hallett, Chair of the inquiry, ensured that people in Wales had the opportunity to engage and comment on the work of the Inquiry.  Importantly, she also heard directly from bereaved families.  I am pleased the experiences of people in Wales will be properly and thoroughly reflected in the inquiry and the decisions made by the Welsh Government and other Welsh public services are properly scrutinised by the inquiry team.

I am satisfied that the terms of reference now ensure that the Inquiry will cover the actions taken in Wales and the interrelationship between decisions made across the UK.

I encourage the people of Wales to continue to engage with the inquiry as it undertakes its important scrutiny of events which have taken place during the Covid-19 pandemic.”