Today, the Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, has opened the Inquiry’s ninth investigation examining the economic response to the pandemic.
Module 9 will examine the economic interventions taken by the UK Government and Devolved Administrations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will include the economic support for business, jobs, the self-employed, vulnerable people, and those on benefits, and the impact of key economic interventions. It will also consider additional funding given to relevant public services and the voluntary and community sectors. More details of the areas of investigation are included in the provisional scope for Module 9.
The Core Participant application window will be open from 9 July to 6 August 2024. The process for applying to be a Core Participant is set out in the Core Participant protocol.
The first Preliminary hearing for Module 9 will be held on 23 October 2024 in London.
Module 6 hearing dates
The Chair can also confirm the public hearing dates for the Inquiry’s sixth investigation that will examine the Care sector across the UK. Oral evidence will be heard between 30 June 2025 to 31 July 2025.
The Chair aims to conclude the Inquiry’s public hearings in 2026.
The Inquiry is split into different investigations – or ‘Modules’ – which will examine different parts of the UK’s preparedness for and response to the pandemic and its impact.
So far, the Inquiry has opened nine investigations.
The hearings for Module 1 (The UK’s pandemic preparedness and resilience) and Module 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C (Core political and administrative decision making in the UK and devolved administrations) have all been completed.
To ensure the Inquiry’s recommendations are timely, the Chair has promised to publish regular reports. The Inquiry’s Module 1 report will be published on 18 July 2024.
The updated schedule of hearings is as follows:
| Module | Opened on… | Investigating… | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8 November 2022 | The impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems | Monday 9 September – Thursday 10 October 2024 Break: Monday 14 October – Friday 25 October 2024 Monday 28 October – Thursday 28 November 2024 |
| 4 | 5 June 2023 | Vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment across the UK | Tuesday 14 January – Thursday 30 January 2025 |
| 5 | 24 October 2023 | Procurement | Monday 3 March – Thursday 3 April 2025 |
| 7 | 19 March 2024 | Test, trace and isolate | Monday 12 May – Friday 30 May 2025 |
| 6 | 12 December 2023 | The care sector | Monday 30 June – Thursday 31 July 2025 |
| 8 | 21 May 2024 | Children and young people | Autumn 2025 |
| 9 | 9 July 2024 | Economic response | Winter 2025 |