Frequently asked questions

The Inquiry was announced in the Scottish Parliament in December 2021 and set up on 28 February 2022. As is the case with all public inquiries, it has had to be built from scratch. It is not possible to say how long the Inquiry will take to reach its conclusions, but it will report as quickly as possible, while ensuring it conducts a robust, independent investigation, establishes the facts and identifies lessons that need to be learned so that Scotland is better prepared in future.

The independent Inquiry is investigating the devolved strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The Inquiry is only able to look at matters which are devolved to Scotland. The investigation is shaped by the Inquiry's Terms of Reference and covers the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022. 

Before setting up the Inquiry, the Scottish Government produced a report on the Terms of Reference, following a period of public consultation. Scottish Ministers published the Inquiry's Terms of Reference on 14 December 2021. Following Lord Brailsford’s appointment as Inquiry Chair, the Terms of Reference were amended to make explicit reference to taking a human rights-based approach. The updated Terms of Reference were published on 28 October 2022.

The Inquiry is chaired by The Hon. Lord Brailsford. The Chair, who acts in an independent capacity, leads the investigations and decides on findings and recommendations, in accordance with fairness and the need to avoid unnecessary cost. 

It is not possible to estimate the final cost of the Inquiry at this stage.  The Chair has a legal duty to avoid unnecessary costs and the Inquiry publishes its costs quarterly to remain open and transparent. 

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 does not apply to public inquiries. However, the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is committed to conducting itself in an open and transparent manner. This includes publishing regular information and updates on its website and broadcasting its hearings online. 

People living in Scotland are governed by laws made under powers devolved to the Scottish Government and Parliament, and laws made under powers reserved to the UK Government and Parliament. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic involved both Scottish and UK authorities. 

In December 2021, Scottish Ministers announced an inquiry would be held for devolved matters only, with specific Terms of Reference that related to the Scottish strategic response. The UK Government announced on June 2022 the Terms of Reference for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, covering both devolved and reserved matters. 

Both inquiries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement setting out how they will work together. The agreement includes commitments to providing clear information to the public about how each inquiry will conduct its investigations in Scotland, minimise duplication of work where possible and maximise value for money to the public purse.

Let's Be Heard is the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry’s public participation project. On 29 November 2024, Let’s Be Heard finished gathering people’s experiences and is now focused on analysing responses to inform the Inquiry's investigations. 

We are grateful to the more than 11,000 people across Scotland who have taken the time to share their experiences with Let's Be Heard.

To find out other ways you can get involved in the Inquiry, visit our Get Involved page.

The Inquiry's impact hearings began in October 2023 and are scheduled to continue until mid-2025. Listings of the Inquiry's upcoming and past hearings are available in the Hearings section of the website. 

To attend a hearing in person, you must request a place in advance. Details on requests to attend are available on the information about hearings page. You do not have to attend in person to watch the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry's hearings. Anyone can stream the Inquiry's hearings on its public YouTube channel. 

Most hearings are broadcast on the Inquiry's YouTube Channel and website while they are taking place, and made available to watch on demand after each session is complete. There may be some occasions in which the Inquiry cannot broadcast evidence given at one of its hearings, such as if a witness has been granted anonymity. In such cases, the Inquiry will note this on the hearing schedule. 

More information about the structure of the Inquiry's hearings can be found on the hearing structure and sequence page. 

Transcripts and evidence documents from hearings, including witness statements, are published on the Document and Evidence Library. 

Each hearing page within the Hearings and Presentations section of the Inquiry's website also contains the transcript and evidence from that particular session. 

Public inquiries do not decide civil or criminal liability, nor do they award compensation. The responsibility for that lies with courts or tribunals. Instead, inquiries investigate the matters listed within their Terms of Reference, before making recommendations to government. A video about what the Inquiry can and cannot do can be found on its YouTube channel. 

Under the Inquiries Act 2005, the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is prohibited from determining criminal liability. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has a role in investigating deaths. It has a dedicated Covid-19 Death Investigation Team and has published information for bereaved families. The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry respects the independent role of the Lord Advocate in relation to prosecuting crimes and investigating deaths in Scotland, as required by its Terms of Reference. The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry will fulfil its Terms of Reference by investigating all matters entrusted to it and making findings and recommendations.  

Where an individual, group or organisation has a significant interest in the Inquiry, the Chair may designate them as a core participant. Core participants have some additional rights, as described in the Inquiry’s core participant protocol. Please note, you do not need to be a core participant to be involved in the Inquiry. 

A list of the Inquiry’s core participants can be found on the Core Participants page. 

For general enquiries and correspondence to the Chair, you can email the Inquiry at contact@covid19inquiry.scot, or write to Freepost SCOTTISH COVID-19 INQUIRY. For media enquiries, please email media@covid19inquiry.scot.