New Senedd Special Purpose Committee to be established to examine ‘gaps’ identified in UK Covid-19 Inquiry

Wales will have a special committee that will allow the Senedd to “determine were there any gaps, for instance, in relation to Wales’s preparedness and response” as the UK COVID inquiry moves through each of its modules. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The move follows long-running calls for Wales to have its own inquiry into how the pandemic was handled. ‌ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

It is also in response to gaps identified in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry concerning the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other public bodies during the pandemic. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

This week the Senedd agreed to establish a “Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee” with the remit to: ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

i) Following the publication of the reports at each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and in the context of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s terms of reference and timetable, propose to the Senedd by motion, any gaps identified in the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic that should be subject to further examination. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

ii) Subject to Senedd approval, undertake a review into those areas identified for further examination. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

iii) Publish reports and make recommendations accordingly. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

b) Agrees that the Special Purpose Committee will not revisit the conclusions of completed Senedd Committee inquiries and should seek to avoid duplication. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

c) Agrees that the Special Purpose Committee will not be prohibited from investigating matters previously examined by Senedd Committees where there is updated information and a clear benefit of further scrutiny. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

In the debate around the matter, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said, ” I welcome this first step towards the establishment of a special purpose committee to analyse the Welsh Government’s response to the COVID pandemic, and in fact we co-proposed the original motion supporting this, not because it’s enough, but because it is at least a means to seek some answers through identifying the most obvious gaps in the UK inquiry. Some of those areas we need answers about were identified in three reports by the Senedd Health, Social Care and Sport Committee in the fifth Senedd—a wide range of issues were covered by that committee, from personal protective equipment issues to what happened in our care homes here in Wales. We need to know what the gaps are now.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Andrew Davies MS responded to claims it was the result of a ‘Labour-Conservative deal’ rather than cross party agreement, “I do take exception to the point that the health spokesperson and possibly leadership contender on the Plaid benches, who tried to instigate that this was some sort of grubby deal—. It was no deal. It flowed from the debate that the Conservatives led here before Christmas, which was an open invitation from the First Minister to have that discussion. In the discussions the First Minister and myself had, as I understand it, he had a discussion with the leader of Plaid Cymru, or the then leader of Plaid Cymru. I don’t know what the response was from the then leader of Plaid Cymru to the engagement in the process of the formation of this committee, but it is regrettable that the health spokesperson for the Plaid Cymru group has tried to paint this as some sort of deal. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

He added, “I want to see a form of Senedd parliamentary scrutiny that this special purpose committee will create. It is no grubby deal—it is an ability to get under the skin of the inquiry and the decisions that have been made, and I think this is a meaningful way of progressing those discussions to bring a fruitful conclusion to the debate.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Lesley Griffiths MS, speaking in role as Trefnydd, agreed, “I would just reiterate what the leader of the opposition has said. Welsh Government worked with the opposition party, the Welsh Conservatives, in relation to the establishment of this special purpose committee. There’s certainly no deal been made.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“The implication certainly was that a grubby deal had been done. I think this is far too serious an issue to be portrayed in this way. The pandemic touched the lives of everyone in Wales but, of course, especially those families, many, many families, who lost a loved one, and it’s right that the decisions taken by the Welsh Government and also by Welsh public bodies are openly and properly scrutinised, and we continue to believe that the best way to do that is through the UK COVID-19 inquiry. We continue to engage fully with the inquiry to ensure our actions and decisions are fully and properly scrutinised, and since last year I know we’ve provided a significant number of statements and documentation to allow the inquiry to carry out its very important work.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“As the UK COVID inquiry does move through each of its modules, this special purpose committee will allow the Senedd to determine were there any gaps, for instance, in relation to Wales’s preparedness and response.” ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​