Earlier today, Baroness Hallett, Chair of the Covid Inquiry, released the official Protocol for the Transfer and Handling of Documents for the Covid Inquiry. The document outlines exactly how important documents and evidence, submitted by Core Participants (CP), Material Providers (MP) and the public should be handled throughout the course of the Inquiry. You can read the Protocol in full below.
The release of the Protocol document is an important next step in the discovery process as it sets the parameters for how the evidence gathered through disclosure should be produced and handled by all parties involved. The Chair has also named the Government in this document and has noted the seriousness of the offence of altering or hiding evidence, which is a criminal offence now that the Inquiry has been set up, as governed by the Inquiries Act (2005).
The Protocol covers two key areas:
- The production of documents by CP, MP and the public, and;
- The receipt and handling of those documents by the Inquiry
What is a Material Provider?
The document discusses ‘Material Providers’ alongside Core Participants. According to the Protocol document: “Material Provider means any person, institution or organisation, which has been asked to provide documents to the Inquiry or which has provided documents to the Inquiry. For the avoidance of doubt, it includes departments of Her Majesty's Government”
A modular approach
The release of the Protocol document comes following the Chair’s opening statement on the 21st July where she promised a ‘swift but thorough’ Inquiry. The Chair also announced that the Inquiry would take a modular approach, meaning it will be split into clear sections with findings being reported along the way. Preliminary hearings for module 1, dealing with preparedness, are set to begin in September, before public hearings start in spring 2023. Baroness Hallett has also set a deadline for Core Participant applications for the 16th August. If you have lost a loved one to Covid, it isn’t too late to be involved. Fill in our questionnaire below to instruct free legal representation.
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Visit our Covid Inquiry FAQ page for answers to some of our commonly asked questions surrounding the Inquiry, next steps, how to instruct free legal representation and more.