Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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82. To ask the Taoiseach the reason the Government has not committed to a full independent inquiry on the Covid-19 pandemic; and if it will commit to such an inquiry. [32098/25]

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The COVID-19 Evaluation, chaired by Professor Anne Scott, is an independent entity. It decides on all matters relating to its operation, including its procedures and its programme of work, and is guided by its Terms of Reference which are available on the Evaluation’s dedicated website, www.covid19evaluation.ie.

The most important objective of the exercise should be to learn for the future. Almost all COVID-19 inquiries/reviews/evaluations that have been, or are being, undertaken around the world have this as their central objective.

By taking a fact-finding and lessons-learned approach, the COVID-19 Evaluation has a greater chance of completing its programme of work in a non-adversarial atmosphere with the cooperation of relevant players. A non-statutory, expert-led, after-action review offers speed and flexibility and allows for both public and private information giving, as evidenced by the public consultation currently underway and the recent roundtable event with stakeholder organisations.

A statutory inquiry would have taken longer to establish and would have been a more burdensome process to administer.

While the COVID-19 Evaluation will exclude consideration of legal liabilities related to the management of the pandemic, it may identify specific matters which require further investigation through separate processes.