Covid-19 inquiry ‘an opportunity for candour’ from Stormont leaders

The UK-wide inquiry opened hearings in the Northern Ireland capital on Tuesday morning.

Relatives of local people who died during the pandemic wore red and held pictures of their loved ones as they arrived at the Clayton Hotel for what they said was an “important day”.

The inquiry’s hearings in Belfast will run for three weeks and are designed to provide an opportunity to look in depth at the decisions taken in Northern Ireland.

This module will investigate the initial response, central government decision making, political and civil service performance as well as the effectiveness of relationships with governments in the devolved administrations and local and voluntary sectors.

It will also assess decisions behind lockdowns and other non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Former first minister Baroness Arlene Foster, current First Minister Michelle O’Neill (who was deputy first minister during the pandemic), and Health Minister Robin Swann are expected to be among the witnesses to give evidence.

Key figures in Stormont’s Department of Health, including chief medical officer Sir Michael McBride and chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young, are also expected to face questions at the inquiry.

The first sitting in Belfast opened with the showing of a film during which people impacted by the pandemic spoke of the effect it had had on their lives.

In her opening statement, Clair Dobbin KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, described the film as a reminder of “life lost on a huge scale, of lives altered, of people changed by what they lived through or what they worked through”.

She said it was a “sober reminder of why we are all here before you today, and why it matters so much”.

Ms Dobbin urged political representatives to reflect on the role they had played during the pandemic.

“In Northern Ireland, the question of whether political considerations formed the positions adopted by politicians or coloured their approach to decision making is just unavoidable, but it’s not a carte blanche for a blame game either,” she said.

“It’s an invitation to the politicians who will appear before you to reflect upon the role they played in the extraordinary circumstances that met them upon the resumption of power sharing in 2020.

“It’s an opportunity for candour and a demonstration of the highest ideals that politicians share to make things better for the future.”

Earlier, a campaign group representing bereaved Northern Ireland families held a public gathering to coincide with the first day of the Belfast sittings.

Brenda Doherty, who lost her mother Ruth Burke, said: “This is a very, very important day for us here in Northern Ireland.

“Over the next three weeks, we hope all those who are here to give evidence do so with truth and honesty and answer questions without any hesitation.

“We want total transparency.”

She added: “It is a very emotional day but it is also a day we are thankful for. We will keep our emotions under wraps today.”

Martina Ferguson, whose mother Ursula Derry died from Covid-19, said: “There are many questions remain unanswered for families.

“There are many answers that need fact-checked.”

At a preliminary hearing in December, it emerged that WhatsApp messages sent by former Stormont ministers during the pandemic had been lost after government-issued electronic devices were wiped.

These included the devices of Lady Foster and Ms O’Neill.

Members of Northern Ireland Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice stand together holding images of their loved ones outside the Clayton Hotel in Belfast as the Covid-19 Inquiry holds its first day of hearings in Belfast