On 22 April, the Chairman wrote to the Attorney General to request an extension of the undertaking granted in February 2020. The Attorney General has decided to extend the undertaking in respect of oral evidence given to the Inquiry in Modules 1 to 3 to legal persons.
This update provides a digest of:
Decision to resume with limited attendance hearings
In April, the Inquiry wrote to core participants inviting their views on how best to resume hearings. The following three options were put forward for consideration:
- Option 1: Suspend hearings until social restrictions have been lifted completely
The Chairman has written to the Attorney General to request an extension of the undertaking granted in February 2020. The Chairman’s letter, and the letter from the Attorney General’s Office to Core Participants, can be found under correspondence on the Inquiry’s documents page.
This update provides a digest of:
Inquiry operations during social restrictions
This update provides a digest of:
Inquiry operations during social restrictions
"In the light of the Prime Minister’s statement this afternoon the Panel has decided that the Inquiry should hold no further hearings for the time being. To do so, even on the basis of limited attendance, would be to expose those whose presence is essential for that purpose, not to mention those whom we wish to call as witnesses, to an unacceptable risk of infection. It would also send the wrong signal to the world at large at a time when everyone is being urged to cooperate with measures designed to minimise the effect of the virus.
The Inquiry wrote to Core Participants yesterday inviting their views on how hearings should proceed in response to the rapidly evolving situation of COVID-19.
The Inquiry learned late last night that panel member Thouria Istephan is unwell and will be unable to attend the hearing today. Some of her symptoms are similar to those of COVID-19 but it is too early to know whether she has contracted the virus.
Any vulnerable individuals or those with concerns about COVID-19 should feel free not to attend hearings in person and instead follow proceedings remotely on the livestream.
Following recent Public Health England (PHE) advice, the Inquiry has published the following guidelines regarding advice about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for those attending hearings. The guide can be found on the Venue page of the website, or click here.
February Update
This update provides a digest of:
