Covid Inquiry: Families criticise 'disrespect' by Department of Health
Brenda DohertyFamilies who lost loved ones to Covid have criticised "a lack of co-operation" by the Department of Health with the ongoing public inquiry.
Eighty families from Northern Ireland met to discuss the progress of the UK-wide Covid inquiry.
Martina Ferguson whose mother, Ursula Derry, 87, died in 2021 called the department's response "disrespectful".
The department said it recognised the inquiry is "uniquely placed to identify recommendations and learnings".
Saturday's conference was hosted by Bereaved Families for Justice Northern Ireland on Saturday.
Ms Ferguson said the department had "not responded or provided information to the request that the inquiry has sent them".
She added: "It is very concerning given that we have all known about this inquiry for the last two years.
"We would be hoping the chair, Baroness Hallett, uses her full powers.
"This information should be with the inquiry team. It needs to be analysed by the inquiry team.
"There is slippage there. We would hope they would respond to that as soon as possible".
FamilyBriege McEvoy's son, Conor Hall, 23, died with Covid in 2021.
She described him as loving, kind and full of fun.
"Never did we think that Covid would have taken Conor. It was day seven whenever Conor passed," she said.
"He was feeling very unwell. But he kept saying 'mum three more days, three more days and I'll be fine'.
"He thought that once he got to day 10 he would be OK. And he wasn't."
'Devastated us all'
Conor would have celebrated his 26th birthday on Saturday.
His mother said her son was a "big loss".
"It has devastated us all," she said.
"Our lives will never be the same again. I just keep expecting him to walk through the door. We have so many questions, we want answers."
Brenda Doherty, whose mother Ruth Burke died with Covid in 2020, was one of the organisers of the event.
"We all need answers," she said.
"Module one showed the massive gap that Northern Ireland had in relation to preparation for Covid-19.
"What is difficult for us is that we are relying on civil servants to make decisions the same way we were pre-Covid."
The Department for Health said it was "very aware of the far-reaching and devastating impacts the Covid-19 pandemic had on all aspects of society and recognises that the inquiry is uniquely placed to identify recommendations and learnings for the future.
"The department has received a number of Rule Nine requests across the four live modules.
"Nine have already been responded to and work is ongoing on the remainder.
"The department is committed to responding comprehensively and as quickly as possible on outstanding requests and has diverted significant resources to deliver on this objective."
The first phase of the Covid Inquiry heard from its final witness in July.
In total, 69 politicians, civil servants, scientists and other experts have been asked about the UK's planning for a pandemic and the state of the healthcare system when Covid struck.
The second round of Covid inquiry public hearings starts on 3 October.