Covid Inquiry Updates

December 12 2023

Patrick Vallance

Nia Gowman asked questions of Sir Patrick Vallance on behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Kirsten Heaven and Laura Shepherd are also on the legal team, instructed by Craig Court of Harding Evans.

Watch now on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K54-6B1VMsA

Rishi Sunak

Nia Gowman asked questions of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. Kirsten Heaven and Laura Shepherd are also on the legal team, instructed by Craig Court of Harding Evans.

Watch now on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_08pco9j-8

Laura Shepherd Delivers Opening Statement in Module 2 of the Covid-19 Inquiry

Public hearings in Module 2 of the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry started on Tuesday 3rd October 2023. Counsel to the Inquiry, Hugo Keith KC, gave his opening statement to the Chair of the Inquiry, Baroness Heather Hallett.

On behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, Laura Shepherd delivered the opening statement at first public hearing. 

Module 2; core UK decision-making and political governance will assess high-level decision-making at central government level. This will cover the major decisions which were taken in response to the pandemic. The effectiveness of relationships with governments in the devolved administrations will be scrutinised. This module will see Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock give evidence, as well as scientific advisers Professors Sir Patrick Vallance, Sir Chris Whitty, and Sir Jonathan Van Tam.

Laura Shepherd, Kirsten Heaven and Nia Gowman of 30 Park Place and Bethan Harris of Garden Court Chambers are instructed by Harding Evans to represent those who lost loved ones who were living in Wales. 

In the opening statement, Laura Shepherd asked if there was a “subconscious or unconscious tendency to view [older people] as lesser, to view them as dispensable”. 

She added, “In light of what was known, the decision in both England and Wales to discharge people from hospital into care homes without testing was indefensible.”

Laura Shepherd’s opening statement can be viewed by following the link below:

https://youtu.be/zXmUv3mrQBQ?si=Csa_2bq7bOTtk4bM&t=14928

Laura Shepherd Asks Questions about Devolved Administrations’ Powers at the Covid-19 Inquiry 

Laura Shepherd, Kirsten Heaven and Nia Gowman of 30 Park Place and Bethan Harris of Garden Court Chambers are instructed by Harding Evans to represent Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru.

On 9th October 2023, Miss Shepherd asked questions on behalf of those who lost loved ones in Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The questions asked by Miss Shepherd related to the internal borders which were erected between England and Wales during the pandemic. Professor Ailsa Henderson, a Political Scientist at the University of Edinburgh was asked whether the responsibility for internal borders between nations of the United Kingdom were a matter for the Welsh Government or the UK Government.

She answered:

"I think this was 12 October and then on 16 October there were restrictions made for people travelling from areas where there was higher rates of illness to areas inside Wales, not just in terms of England, it's clear that they [the Welsh Government] felt they had the authority to do this because of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 […] Erecting internal borders within the union was highly controversial, and for the most part one's view of the union and one's understanding of the union kind of helps us to understand how someone might react to it."

To see Miss Shepherd’s questions and Professor Henderson’s answers, please see the link below: 

https://youtu.be/3T8zqF4Rk34?si=0XbFlu-D4aEr0zNf&t=15376

Laura Shepherd Asks Questions about Airborne Transmission at the Covid-19 Inquiry

Laura Shepherd, Kirsten Heaven and Nia Gowman of 30 Park Place and Bethan Harris of Garden Court Chambers are instructed by Harding Evans to represent Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru.

On 19th October 2023, Professor Catherine Noakes of the Environmental Modelling Group, a sub-group of SAGE, gave evidence to the inquiry.

Her evidence included a statement that there were no reasons to guard against airborne transmission. Professor Noakes went onto say that there was a tendency to assume that the other transmission routes of Covid-19 were a risk, but require evidence for airborne transmission.

After Counsel to the Inquiry’s questions, Laura Shepherd was given permission to ask questions on behalf of the bereaved in Wales. It was confirmed that the Environmental Modelling Group’s advice was “agnostic” and therefore it is how that advice is acted on by the policymakers in the devolved administrations, and it is for them to decide how to take on and use that advice.  

To see Miss Shepherd’s questions and Professor Henderson’s answers, please see the link below: 

https://youtu.be/CPm4oF05fA8?si=yfYN4bTe15yWBsrF&t=2292