Inquiry announces timetable for business and welfare impact hearings (9–13 December)

The provisional timetable for the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry's second week of business and welfare impact hearings (9–13 December 2024) is as follows: 

Week two – 9–13 December
Monday 9 December

Elaine Wilson, Corra Foundation

Panel, Citizens Advice Scotland

  • Benjamin Napier, Citizens Advice Edinburgh
  • Claire Christie, Citizens Advice Dundee
  • Angus McMillan, Citizens Advice Scotland

Karen Hedge, Scottish Care

Panel, Social Enterprise Scotland

  • Kim Wallace
  • Duncan Thorp
Tuesday 10 December – finishing at 3.15pm

Peter Kelly, Poverty Alliance

Kirsty McKechnie, Child Poverty Action Group

Panel, Fuel and COVID-19

  • Paul Clark, Citrus Energy
  • Suzanne Wight, Queens Cross Housing Association
  • Rosalyn Kane, Fuel Bank Foundation
  • Matthew Cole, Fuel Bank Foundation
Wednesday 11 December – not sitting
Thursday 12 December – starting at 11.15am

Aoife Deery, Citizens Advice Scotland

John Blackwood, Scottish Association of Landlords

Panel, Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations

  • Irene McFarlane, Linthouse Housing Association
  • Clair Malpas, Cassiltoun Housing Association
  • Jamie Mallan, Govan Housing Association
  • Gary Earl, Dalmuir Park Housing Association
Friday 13 December – finishing at 1.15pm

Panel, Independent Food Aid Network and Trussell Trust Network

  • Kathleen Neilly, West Lothian Foodbank
  • Penny Morriss, Trussell Trust
  • Joyce Leggate, Kirkcaldy Food Bank
  • Oscar Wainwright, Pollokshields Community Food Point

Panel, Food aid organisations

  • Neil Hay, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub
  • Kirsty Haigh, Edinburgh Food Social, Food for Good Coalition
  • Monica Lee-Macpherson MBE, Scottish Highlands & Islands and Moray Chinese Association
  • Jill Mackay, North United Communities

Sessions will usually start at 10am and finish at 4pm, and daily timetables are published in the Hearings area of 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 second 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 5 December 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.