Limited scope of covid evaluation may not judge if key decisions were right or wrong

Chairwoman Prof Anne Scott has issued an appeal to the public to share their experience of the covid pandemic between now and July. Picture: Gráinne Ní Aodha/PA

The limited scope of the covid evaluation was laid bare during a first briefing on how it will operate, with those overseeing it admitting they can only "hope" the Government will act on recommendations made.

The briefing, which also saw the launch of a public consultation, outlined how the process is expected to last around 18 months. Panel chair Anne Scott cautioned the panel has already received “voluminous” amounts of files.