Inquiry announces timetable for business and welfare impact hearings (2–6 December 2024)
The provisional timetable for the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry's first week of business and welfare impact hearings (2–6 December 2024) is as follows:
| Week one – 2-6 December | |
|---|---|
| Monday 2 December – finishing at 12.30pm | Opening statement from Laura-Anne van der Westhuizen – Senior Co-Lead Counsel Panel, Federation of Small Businesses Scotland
|
| Tuesday 3 December – finishing at 3.15pm | Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Scottish Retail Consortium Panel, Scottish Wholesale Association
David Thomson, Food and Drink Federation |
| Wednesday 4 December | Stephen Montgomery, Scottish Hospitality Group Rosina Robson, National Hair and Beauty Federation Panel, British Dental Association
Paul White, Confederation of Passenger Transport UK |
| Thursday 5 December | Marc Crothall, Scottish Tourism Alliance Fiona Campbell, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers Sarah-Jane Laing, Scottish Land & Estates Gareth Hateley, British Veterinary Association |
| Friday 6 December – finishing at 3.30pm | Rozanne Foyer, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) Joanne Cairns, Union of Shop Distribution and Allied Workers (USDAW) BD Owens, Scottish Artists Union Ian Tasker, Scottish Hazards |
Sessions will usually start at 10am and finish at 4pm, and daily timetables are published on the Hearings page on the Inquiry’s website. Please check the Inquiry’s social media account on X for live updates on session start and break times.
Requests to attend
The Inquiry is now accepting requests to attend for the first week of its business and welfare impact hearings.
The Inquiry has contacted by email all core participants with leave to appear in relation to requests to attend.
Requests to attend must be submitted by email to hearingsandwitnesses@covid19inquiry.scot by Thursday 28 November 2024 with the following information:
- group or organisation (if applicable);
- name of person(s) attending; and
- role (e.g. group member, legal/lay representative/member of the public).
The Inquiry will respond to requests to attend as soon as possible after the closing date. Anyone wishing to attend a hearing in person must request a place in advance.
For those not attending in person, proceedings can be watched on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel, which also has videos of all the Inquiry’s previous hearings.
Further guidance for witnesses and attendees is available on the Information for Witnesses and Attendees page.
Please direct media enquiries to media@covid19inquiry.scot.
The Inquiry is committed to being trauma-informed and person-centred and welcomes feedback in relation to attendance at hearings. Please send any queries or feedback to hearingsandwitnesses@covid19inquiry.scot.