Lord Brailsford appointed Chair of the Inquiry

Following his appointment, effective 28 October 2022, Lord Brailsford said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the independent Chair of the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry. The pandemic impacted everyone across the country to some degree. There is barely a family, business or organisation that wasn’t affected in some way.

"This Inquiry seeks to find out whether anything could, or even should, have been done differently and what lessons can be learned for the future.

“The public are rightly looking for answers and no more so than the loved ones of the nearly 16,000 people in Scotland who died during this pandemic. I am immensely aware of the enormous responsibility this places on me and the Inquiry. I promise the families, that along with the Inquiry team, I will work independently to establish the facts and ensure the Inquiry thoroughly examines the decisions taken throughout the pandemic.”

In addition, the Inquiry's Terms of Reference have been amended to require the Inquiry to "demonstrate how a human rights-based approach by the Inquiry has contributed to the Inquiry's findings in facts and recommendations".