8. Closing Remarks by the Chair

Lady Hallett: Thank you very much indeed, Mr Poole, I’m very grateful to everybody.

That completes the oral evidence and submissions in Module 2B, key decision-making in Wales.

I hope that the people of Wales feel that we have addressed most of their significant concerns, albeit I have always said we may not be able to address them all.

I will now assess all the evidence, both the oral and written evidence, and also the submissions before reaching any conclusions; and I have to emphasise that I have yet again to say, because the message doesn’t seem to be getting through, I have yet to reach any conclusions and I am not acting on any assumptions, and I will consider all the material that has been provided.

People focus on the oral evidence for understandable reasons, because it’s so much in the public eye, but it is just one part of the process. It’s an important part, because it enables Counsel to the Inquiry and for the core participants to test the evidence in public. They ask their questions – not my questions, their questions – to help me eventually reach what I hope people will accept are fair and reasoned conclusions, and I promise to publish those conclusions as soon as we reasonably can.

Finally, I’d like to echo the gratitude expressed by Mr Poole just a moment ago. I’d like to thank so many people – I’ll sound like an Oscar winner in a minute – so many people for helping get these Inquiries completed on time here in Cardiff.

The Inquiry team, obviously, both the secretariat and the legal team. I don’t think people always realise what goes on behind the scenes to get hearings like this heard effectively, but a huge amount of work goes on. I know the Inquiry team have worked extraordinarily hard, and I know that the core participants have obviously also worked extraordinarily hard and made their usual substantial contribution.

There are others: there are the tech team, as I’m going to call them, who have survived – with only one hiccup – being overheated, as I insisted on not having arctic conditions; and the stenographer, obviously; the interpreters in our booth, I think they’ve also been getting quite hot at times, so I’m sorry to them, it seems we had an Inquiry of two parts when it comes to temperature; the staff at the hotel; and lastly –

I think it’s lastly, let me just check, I think it is –

the members of the public who have been with us in

person and online, and I know how much the interest and

support of members of the public, particularly a number

of members of the Welsh bereaved, have been to

the Inquiry. They may not always agree with my

decisions, but that’s fair enough, and that’s

inevitable, but they do accept them and they’re always

constructive, and I am very grateful to them.

So that completes these hearings. The next

substantive hearings will be in Belfast on 30 April.

Thank you all again.

(12.30 pm)

(The hearing concluded)