The UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2B hearings begin in Wales on Tuesday 27 February 2024.
The hearings are an important stage in the Inquiry’s investigation into decision making and governance in each nation of the United Kingdom, and follow hearings for Module 2A which were held in Scotland in January. Members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings in Cardiff or watch them online through the Inquiry website.
Module 2B, ‘Core UK decision-making and political governance – Wales’, 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 Wales to share their pandemic experiences so we can truly understand the human impact and learn lessons from it. Go to everystorymatters.co.uk to find out how to share your story.
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 St Fagans National Museum of History near Cardiff.
Standing next to the Patchwork of Memories, a beautiful memorial consisting of over 50 patches made by people across Wales who lost loved ones – family and friends – during the pandemic, Inquiry Secretary, Ben Connah, said he was pleased that the Inquiry’s hearings are soon to begin in the Welsh capital.
Next week, we begin the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s public hearings here in Wales. We will be holding three weeks of hearings at the Mercure Cardiff North. People in Wales 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 UK.
Ben also highlighted how the Welsh 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 Welsh 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 Wales, from Rhyl to the Rhondda valley, to help us to build a picture of the impact the pandemic had on this wonderful country.
Joining the Inquiry Secretary in Cardiff this week was Gwenno Hodson from Anglesey, who lost her sister during the pandemic and was unable to visit her in hospital due to restrictions.
We lost my sister - she was diagnosed in June 2020 with Stage Four colon cancer. By July 2021, she had passed away. During the whole time we were under pandemic rules and restrictions, so it was really difficult for us to be a family.
Gwenno is also an enthusiastic advocate of Every Story Matters, as she explained.
Every Story Matters is a personal journey. It’s a chance to represent those people who aren’t here, to tell their story. I’ve got to say, I felt a catharsis somehow. It was a process that I found useful - and I also think that other people would find it useful.
Module 2B held its first Preliminary Hearing on 1 November 2022 and held further Preliminary Hearings in 2023, with oral evidence hearings starting Tuesday 27 February 2024.
The timetable for the first week of Module 2B public hearings is now available. Timetables for the following week are published every Thursday on our website.
Every Story Matters
Every Story Matters is your opportunity to help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand your experience of the pandemic.