Craig Court says families are concerned by the Welsh government’s handling of the Covid public inquiry
Bereaved families of coronavirus victims feel the Welsh government has not adequately taken part in the Covid public inquiry, their solicitor says.
Craig Court, who represents bereaved families, said the Welsh government had not participated “as well as they should have”.
He claimed the Welsh government failed to deliver crucial paperwork with just days to go before Tuesday’s inquiry.
The Welsh government refused to comment on an open inquiry.
A UK-wide inquiry will start on Tuesday, which could go on as long as three years, and will predominantly look at the UK government’s approach to the pandemic.
A Wales-specific inquiry was blocked by Labour members of the Senedd, with First Minster Mark Drakeford saying it should wait until after the UK-wide investigation had been completed.
Mr Court told BBC Wales “there is a great concern over the duty of candour” displayed by the Welsh government.
He said the worries stemmed from the “very late disclosure” of documents from the government, which have made preparations for the Tuesday inquiry difficult.
Mr Court said they had not produced all their documents “as soon as they should have”.
“We are still getting documents [and], as of today, we’re still not in receipt of some key Welsh evidence. We have been told we will continue to get documents up to and including the hearing,” he said.
Image source, Getty Images
Mr Court represents families who lost loved ones during the pandemic
He conceded that some delays were to be expected due to a “demanding schedule” set by the head of the inquiry.
But he said: “This is something they have been aware of for 18 months.”
Mr Court, of Harding Evans solicitors, said he and his team are working to process “the tens of thousands of documents”, to be “as best prepared for the weeks to follow”.
He said “there might not be as much of a focus on Wales as families would like” in the UK-wide inquiry, but there was hope more answers would emerge for families from a Wales-specific portion of the investigation due in spring 2024.
“The inquiry is going to go on for a number of years yet,” he said.
“Undoubtedly it’s going to be a very emotional and difficult time for [the families].”
Image source, Getty Images
Mr Court said the Welsh government was underprepared for the pandemic, with exercises carried out in the years prior “often not heeded”.
He also claimed the NHS in Wales was “not fit for purpose”.
“The NHS in Wales was significantly underprepared for these sort of instances,” he said.
“There was an ageing NHS estate, buildings that weren’t fit for purpose, lots of recommendations made over the years for things to improve and change that just simply weren’t done.
“So what the families are really hoping for is that the issues that have been identified are acted upon, so that there is a better system in place should we be in the unfortunate position of the having the same sort of thing again in the future.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We will not be commenting on any matters relating to the inquiry as proceedings are now underway.
“We have made it clear that we continue to engage fully with the inquiry to ensure all actions and decisions are fully and properly scrutinised.”
