Preliminary hearings for the Inquiry’s second investigation will begin on Monday 31 October and will take place over three days.
It will be split into parts, to focus on each of the devolved nations separately.
On Monday 31 October, the Inquiry will hold a preliminary hearing for Module 2, which will examine the UK’s core political and administrative decision-making in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This will be followed by hearings for Module 2A (looking at decision-making in Scotland) and Module 2B (decision-making in Wales) on Tuesday 1 November. The hearing for Module 2C (Northern Ireland) will take place on Wednesday 2 November.
Preliminary hearings are to agree on procedural matters and help the Inquiry and Core Participants prepare for the public hearings where evidence is heard.
During the hearings, there will be an update from the Inquiry Counsel on Core Participant applications and the Inquiry will set out in more detail the plans for these modules.
All preliminary hearings will be live streamed on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel, subject to a three minute delay. We will publish a transcript of each hearing on the same day it concludes. A recording of the hearing will be published on the Inquiry’s website at a later date.
The preliminary hearings are open to the public and will be held at 13 Bishop’s Bridge Road, London, W2 6BU. Places inside the hearing centre will be available on a first come, first served basis.
The Inquiry is asking that everyone who attends the hearing follows our Covid policy. Anyone who is considering coming to a hearing should not do so if there is any risk that they have coronavirus, or they feel unwell and aren’t sure why. The Inquiry will begin hearing evidence for Module 2 in Summer 2023. The Inquiry will hear evidence for Modules 2A, B and C in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the autumn of next year. More information on this will be published in due course.