Covid Inquiry Chair Defends £200m Cost And Four-year Process On Final Day

The chair of nan UK nationalist enquiry into Covid 19 has defended nan costs and magnitude of nan process connected nan past time of hearings.

Baroness Heather Hallett said completing nan hearings successful nether 4 years was "an bonzer achievement" but critics person questioned nan costs and nan long of nan inquiry.

Costing conscionable complete £200m, it looked astatine nan consequence to nan pandemic successful each 4 UK nations, opening formally successful 2022 pinch witnesser hearings starting successful June 2023.

Baroness Hallett said erstwhile group spot nan results of nan inquiry's work, they will admit why it was group up.

In a connection astatine nan extremity of nan proceedings connected Thursday, Baroness Hallett said: "There are group who judge it is clip to move connected from nan pandemic and they mobility nan worthy of this inquiry.

"I dream that erstwhile they publication astir nan grade of nan suffering that we've heard and spot nan results of nan inquiry's work, they will admit nan immense standard of nonaccomplishment caused by Covid 19 and they will understand amended why this enquiry was established."

Baroness Hallett said complete 600,000 documents had been received and reviewed arsenic portion of nan inquiry, and much than 350 witnesses had been called to springiness evidence.

And she urged nan nationalist to push for changes she recommended up of immoderate early pandemic.

"If implemented, my recommendations should trim nan number of deaths, trim nan suffering and trim nan societal and economical cost," she said.

Baroness Hallett will people 8 further reports connected topics specified arsenic nan NHS, vaccines, trial and trace, nan pandemic's effect connected children and societal care.

This process is group to past until nan first half of adjacent year.

She has already published reports connected pandemic readying earlier 2020 and nan behaviour of nan UK Government and devolved nations during nan worst of nan crisis.

The costs of nan enquiry truthful acold is conscionable complete £200 million, pinch £100 cardinal much spent by authorities departments providing documents and different information.

"I said astatine nan outset that this enquiry would costs a batch of money and return time. It has done. But I genuinely judge it has been worthy it," Hallett said.

The enquiry opened formally successful 2022 pinch witnesser hearings opening successful June 2023.

It has looked astatine nan pandemic consequence crossed each 4 UK nations.

A abstracted enquiry group up by nan Scottish Government, chaired by Lord Brailsford, is besides moving and will people a bid of reports this year, followed by hearings connected nan consequence of nationalist bodies and policymakers.