Bereaved families say a Senedd committee is “clouding the situation” amid renewed calls for a Welsh Covid inquiry.
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, head of Covid-19 Bereaved Families Cymru, said a politician-led committee could not be a substitute.
“It can’t possibly cover the range of problems and reach the level of granularity that we need,” she said.
The committee said people would have an opportunity “to speak their word.”
Ms Marsh-Rees said the committee, which meets for the first time next week, was “not the same as an inquiry in Wales”.
“That is 100% not the case. It’s not independent. We want it taken out of the political arena,” she said.
- Bereaved families are calling for a Wales-only Covid investigation
- Concerns have been raised about the Welsh pandemic work in 2018
The Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee was set up as part of an agreement between Welsh Labor and the Welsh Conservatives to identify any gaps in the UK Inquiry’s evidence about Wales.
It follows a long-running dispute over whether Wales needs its own inquiry into the pandemic, claims that have been rejected by the Welsh Government.
Lucy O’Brien, an attorney with extensive experience in public inquiries and judicial reviews, said she was concerned the Senedd Committee would not have the resources to adequately review decisions made during the pandemic.
She said: “With an independent public inquiry, the inquiry would be provided with resources to address witnesses, compel evidence and hold public hearings.”
“Suppose the UK public inquiry found there were problems with care homes in Wales and that was part of Baroness Hallett’s recommendations. Would the Senedd committee then contact care homes in Wales for evidence? I think that’s unlikely because I think they’re unlikely to have the resources to do it.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said it would not comment on the evidence gathered by the inquiry and would not speculate on any possible conclusions from the inquiry.
Ms O’Brien said she was “surprised” that the Welsh Government had voted against holding an independent public inquiry in Wales.
“We know that Wales has taken a very different direction to the UK government during the pandemic and that the response in Wales has been different in many areas to the rest of the UK,” she said.
“From a legal point of view, we are surprised that the Senedd voted against.”
The committee is co-chaired by Joyce Watson, Labor MP for the Senedd for Mid and West Wales, and Tom Giffard, Conservative MP for West South Wales.
The Conservatives co-chair the committee with Welsh Labour, which has been criticized by Plaid Cymru.
Plaid Cymru health spokesman Mabon ap Gwynfor said both parties wanted to “calm down” and “push” the issue of a public inquiry.
“It’s not just the gaps that we need to look into, we also need to look at the Covid issue in the Wales round because health is a devolved nature,” he said.
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said the party was committed to “allowing this committee to play to its full potential like any other scrutiny committee in the Welsh Parliament.”
He added: “The challenge, obviously, is for the government backbenchers to ensure that they step up and act as a backbencher and not as an extension of the Welsh government.”
Add Comment