Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry
The ALLIANCE engages with the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry to represent the interests of our members.
Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ALLIANCE has called consistently for an independent, rights based inquiry to take place without delay.
In February 2021, we signed a joint civil society letter to the First Minister calling for a public inquiry into Scotland’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also asked the Scottish Government to commission an independent, person centred inquiry in our manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election.
In October 2021 we published a briefing recommending key issues to be included in the remit of the Inquiry, and how it should be done to ensure that people are at the centre and everyone’s voices are heard. We called for human rights and social care to be prioritised and explicitly embedded within the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
In 2022, the ALLIANCE was granted core participant status in the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry. The ALLIANCE will represent third sector organisations, disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers in relation to:
- the design and delivery of a vaccination strategy
- the requirement for shielding and associated assistance programmes, provided or supported by public agencies
- the provision of healthcare services and social care support, including the management and support of staff and the recognition, involvement and support of unpaid carers.
In early 2023 the ALLIANCE responded to a Rule 8 notice from the Inquiry requesting evidence and documents relating to the handling of COVID-19 in Scotland.
You can find out more about core participant status on the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry website.
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