![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/hearing-on-stormont-covid-decision-making-to-begin/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/126001252__123304425_mediaitem123304422.jpg&description=By Marie-Louise ConnollyBBC News NI Health Correspondent32 minutes agoImage caption, The hearing will focus on why key decisions were made - particularly about the initial outbreakThe UK Covid-19 Inquiry is to begin its preliminary hearing into decisions made by the government in Northern Ireland.Sitting in London, it will focus on issues specific to Northern Ireland which may have affected how the Executive responded to the pandemic.It is expected to scrutinise core political and administrative decision-making throughout the pandemic. It will assess how and why key decisions were made, with particular emphasis on the initial outbreak.It will also attempt to establish what information was available in Northern Ireland.Johnson WhatsApp messagesThe inquiry is being broken down into different sections - or modules.The preliminary hearing for module one, looking at how well prepared the UK was, took place last month. Monday marked the start of the preliminary hearing for module two, which is looking at the political decision-making. Counsel for the inquiry, Hugo Keith KC, said it would look at whether lives could have been saved by introducing an earlier lockdown at the start of 2020.But he also said it would assess the quality of advice ministers received, and whether too much weight was given to modelling.On Monday, the inquiry asked to see Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages during his time as prime minister as part of its probe into decision-making.Mr Keith said the messages had been requested alongside thousands of other documents, as a major focus of this part of the inquiry was understanding how the "momentous" decisions to impose lockdowns and restrictions were taken.Preliminary inquiries - legal hearings which consider procedural issues relating to the conduct of future public hearings and the inquiry's investigations - also began this week in Scotland and Wales.){kind=link}
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is to begin its preliminary hearing into decisions made by the government in Northern Ireland.
Sitting in London, it will focus on issues specific to Northern Ireland which may have affected how the Executive responded to the pandemic.
It is expected to scrutinise core political and administrative decision-making throughout the pandemic.
It will assess how and why key decisions were made, with particular emphasis on the initial outbreak.
It will also attempt to establish what information was available in Northern Ireland.