Earlier this week, together with the Northern Ireland legal team, we sent joint submissions for Module 2 to the Chair and Inquiry Legal Team (ILT) on your behalf. These submissions address some of the key issues with Module 2 that we have identified based on our experience so far and your feedback. As Core Participants, and, more importantly, as bereaved family members, it is important that your concerns are heard and addressed by the Chair and her team.

The submissions will be expanded upon by Pete Weatherby KC and Ronan Lavery KC at the preliminary hearings next week. Pete Weatherby KC will speak to the UK wide issues on the 31st October, and Ronan Lavery KC will speak to issues specific to those in Northern Ireland on Wednesday 2nd November at the submodule 2C preliminary hearing.

You can read the written submissions in full below.

A couple of weeks ago, we invited you to share your feedback with us on the proposals for Listening Exercise, Pen Portraits, and giving evidence in the Inquiry. This feedback has now been gathered and used to make further submissions to the Chair on the Listening Exercise and Pen Portraits, which you can read below.

These submissions were served on the Chair before we received her ruling later that same day. The ruling does not therefore take into account the further submissions.

You may recall that on the 28th September, in advance of the preliminary hearing for Module 1, we made submissions on your behalf to the Chair about how we believe this Module should run. You can read those submissions here, but to briefly recap, those submissions covered:

Dialogue and communication with the ILT

• Scope of Module 1
• Rule 9 requests and use of Position Statements
• Disclosure
• Experts
• Listening Exercise
• Commemoration
• Further Hearing Dates

The Chair has now delivered her ruling on those submissions. The ruling can be read in full below.

On 20th October 2022, your legal team submitted an appeal to the Chair of the Inquiry, asking her to reconsider her decision not to award the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group Core Participant status in submodules 2A, 2B and 2C of the Covid Inquiry.

You can read the appeal document in full below.