Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson officially launched the Covid Inquiry, a huge next step in the fight for justice on behalf of all of the bereaved across the UK. All evidence relevant to the Inquiry is now protected by the Inquiries Act 2005, which governs the Covid Inquiry. The evidence gathering process starts now and is expected to last until the evidence hearing stage starts in 2023.
The ‘Listening Project’
As part of this evidence gathering process, the Chair of the Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, has alluded to a ‘Listening Project’, which we can expect to take place this Summer. The Listening Project, we expect, will focus on gathering information from many different groups of people who have been significantly impacted by the pandemic regarding their experiences.
Following conversations with the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, Elkan Abrahamson, the lead Solicitor representing them in the Inquiry, along with his legal team and Pete Weatherby KC, the Barrister representing the bereaved families, have submitted a proposal outlining what they believe the Listening Project should include.
The submissions make proposals on behalf of the bereaved families as to how the Inquiry should consider evidence directly relating to those who have lost their lives to Covid:
- Evidence or material relating to who they were in life – referred to variously as ‘pen portraits’, ‘memorials’ or ‘commemorations’, and
- Evidence regarding the circumstances of their deaths (including the experiences of their loved ones).
Having submitted the proposal at this early stage, the legal team and the bereaved families are hopeful that this gives them a better chance of these recommendations being taken on board.
Why is this important?
No one has felt this pandemic more deeply than those who have lost loved ones. The bereaved families have fought relentlessly for the launch of this Inquiry, so that they can make sure the stories of their loved ones are heard to try and prevent this scale of devastation from ever happening again.
These stories are incredibly personal and should be handled with great sensitivity and care. It is absolutely crucial that the bereaved have the opportunity to share the stories of who their loved ones were in life, and the circumstances surrounding their death, as they wish to.
What happens next?
We now eagerly await the Chair’s announcement of the Listening Project. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with the bereaved to support them through this legal process. We have also submitted our application for Core Participant status on behalf of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, which will place the bereaved at the centre of the Inquiry if accepted.
The Inquiry has now been launched. If you’ve lost a loved one to Covid, it isn’t too late to join the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group and be part of this Inquiry.
Visit our Covid Inquiry FAQ page for answers to some of our commonly asked questions surrounding the Inquiry, next steps, how to instruct free legal representation and more.