Overview
The goal of this Inquiry is to learn lessons to ensure that the same mistakes are never repeated and no one else is ever forced to endure what you have had to endure as a result of a pandemic. The Covid-19 Bereaves Families for Justice group has been granted Core Participant status in Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 and Module 4 of the Covid Inquiry.
If you have lost a loved one to Covid-19, you have the right to take part in this Inquiry. Join the CBFFJ group to instruct free legal representation.
What is a Core Participant in a public inquiry?
In any public inquiry, a ‘Core Participant’ is an individual, a group of individuals, or an entity that is granted the right to participate fully in the Inquiry. This includes the right to have access to the disclosed documents, make Submissions to the Chair on relevant issues, make suggestions on which witnesses should be called to give evidence and make opening and closing statements. Core Participants also, crucially, have the right to apply to the Inquiry to ask questions of witnesses during a hearing where allowed by the Chair.
Core Participants have a right to instruct legal representatives. In this case, Broudie Jackson Canter act as the Recognised Legal Representatives for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group. It is our job to ensure the bereaved have a voice in the investigations and to ensure that the investigations are representative of their experiences.
Core Participants at the Covid Inquiry
So far, Baroness Heather Hallett, the Inquiry’s Chair, has granted Core Participant status to the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group in the first 4 modules of the Covid Inquiry.
Whilst it is unclear at this present moment how many more modules there will be, or who will be granted CP status in those modules, we will continue to make applications on behalf of CBFFJ. If you’ve lost a loved one to Covid-19 and want to participate as a Core Participant in this Inquiry, the best way for you to do that is to join the group. Baroness Hallett has expressed just how important the views of the bereaved families are to this Inquiry. We are confident that the bereaved will continue to be represented in this Inquiry as Core Participants.
As a Core Participant in the Covid Inquiry, the members of CBFFJ are able to participate as much or as little as they like. Hearings will continue to be open to the public and streamed online, allowing all to observe the investigation.
I am bereaved, how do I become a Core Participant?
We are so sorry for your loss; we understand this must be a difficult time for you filled with uncertainty. As someone who has lost a loved one to Covid, you have the right to be represented in this Inquiry and have your questions answered.
Since the launch of the Covid Inquiry in June 2022, we have been making applications on behalf of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice (CBFFJ) group to obtain Core Participant (CP) status in every module of the Inquiry. As more modules are announced, we will continue to make applications to ensure the bereaved have a voice and are placed at the centre of this Inquiry, where they belong. It isn’t too late to join the group and participate in these modules. Find out more below.