6. Closing Remarks by the Chair

Lady Hallett: Thank you very much indeed, Mr Dawson, I’m very grateful.

That completes the evidence and the oral submissions in this Module 2A. The team and I will now consider all the material, the written material already published, the written material to which Mr Dawson has just referred, and of course the oral evidence and the oral submissions.

We will begin drafting the report that will be published as soon as reasonably possible. The entire Inquiry team know of my determination to make my findings and any recommendations public as soon as possible, and we will do that, and we will work hard. I think the ability to work hard by the Inquiry team has been proved by the efforts of the Module 2A team, but I’m sure, as everybody will understand, we must do it properly. So we’ll get it out as soon as we can, but we will do it properly.

I’m glad that we were able to bring the UK Inquiry to Scotland, even if I was accused by one politician of taking my rock band on tour. The clue is in the name, it’s the UK Covid Inquiry, and that’s why it was important for us to bring the Inquiry to Scotland.

I too would like to thank the people Mr Dawson has thanked and Mr Mitchell has thanked.

I’d like to thank the people of Scotland for the warmth of their welcome, if not, as Mr Dawson mentioned, the warmth of the weather and sometimes, as he said, the warmth of this building.

I would also like to thank the witnesses for their co-operation, some of whom I’ve imposed on more than once in this Inquiry; the Inquiry team for their extraordinary industry; the core participants for their very considerable help; the technical team, who have done an amazing job; the staff here at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre; and of course the members of the public who have followed us here in person – I think we’ve got at least one person who has been with us throughout. There may be more. I’m sorry if I hadn’t spotted you. Many of you have been here an awful lot – and those who followed online.

Without the help of so many of you, we could not have completed these hearings on time, and I do know considerable effort has gone into everything that’s been done; and in my view this Inquiry team, with the help of the people I’ve mentioned, have I hope produced the kind of results that the people of Scotland would have wanted.

So that completes this module.

The next substantive hearings of the Inquiry, the Covid Inquiry UK, will be in Cardiff on 27 February for Module 2B, where we shall be considering key decision-making in Wales.

So thank you, everybody.

(12.58 pm)

(The hearing concluded)