The UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2A hearings begin in Scotland today (Tuesday 16 January 2024). The hearings are an important stage in the Inquiry’s investigation into decision making and governance in each nation of the UK.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings in Edinburgh or watch them online through the Inquiry website.
Module 2A, ‘Core UK decision-making and political governance – Scotland’, will look into core political and administrative governance and decision-making. It will include the initial response, devolved government decision making, political and civil service performance as well as the effectiveness of relationships with the UK government and local and voluntary sectors.
The Inquiry is also encouraging people in Scotland to share their pandemic experience so we can truly understand the human impact and learn lessons from it.
Find out more about the hearings, the benefits of sharing your story with the Inquiry and how to do so in our video recorded this week at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh:
Standing next to Scotland’s memorial dedicated to NHS staff who worked through the pandemic – the award-winning ‘Your Next Breath’ – Inquiry Secretary, Ben Connah, said he was excited that the Inquiry’s hearings are soon to begin in the Scottish capital:
“It’s the start of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s public hearings here in Scotland. We will be holding three weeks of hearings at the International Conference Centre in Edinburgh. People in Scotland will have the opportunity to hear from politicians, advisers and scientists who were crucial to the decision-making.
“This is a UK-wide public inquiry and it’s really important that we visit the places where decisions were taken and where the impact of the pandemic was felt in different ways in different parts of the country.”
Ben also highlighted how the Scottish public can already participate via Every Story Matters, which will support the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s investigations and help the Chair of the Inquiry make recommendations for the future.
Every Story Matters will provide evidence about the human impact of the pandemic on the UK population. It provides an opportunity for those affected by the pandemic to share their experiences online without the formality of giving evidence or attending a public hearing, as Ben explained.
“The Scottish public can already play their part in the inquiry by logging on to everystorymatters.co.uk and sharing their experience of the pandemic.
“I am really keen that we hear stories from people right across Scotland, from Stranraer to Stornoway, to help us to build a picture of the impact the pandemic had on this beautiful country.”
Joining the Inquiry Secretary in Edinburgh this week is Hussein Patwa, an Aberdeen resident who is visually impaired and registered blind. He described lockdown as “quite tough”.
“Even to this day the pandemic has affected my independence, my ability to get out and about even in my local area. I have also found it has affected my confidence, especially in larger social situations.”
Hussein is also an enthusiastic advocate of Every Story Matters, as he explained: “Telling my story to Every Story Matters has been a cathartic experience for me.
“It has allowed me to reflect on aspects of my experience I hadn’t even thought about, and that in itself was a healing process. I would encourage everyone to share their story on the Every Story Matters website.”
Every Story Matters
Every Story Matters is your opportunity to help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand your experience of the pandemic.