Progress of the Covid-19 Public Inquiry

The Covid-19 Inquiry was established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to examine the response in the UK to the Covid-19 pandemic in order to develop an understanding of the impact of the pandemic in England and Wales and consider what lessons can be learned about how pandemics might be handled in the future. Baroness Heather Hallett, who was appointed in December 2021 to chair the Inquiry, is a former Court of Appeal judge, and has had a very distinguished career. This type of high-level inquiry allows her to compel documents to be produced and call witnesses to give evidence on oath. She has responsibility for making decisions about the procedures to be followed, hearing evidence, arriving at findings and making recommendations.