TAOISEACH MICHEAL MARTIN met with a panel from the Covid inquiry for an “in-depth” question and answer session on the government’s response to the pandemic. 

The long-awaited Covid-19 inquiry will be completed by the end of the year, cabinet was told on Tuesday. 

The independent evaluation into how Ireland dealt with global pandemic was set up by the government in 2024 and has so far held three public consultation sessions.

As part of the inquiry, members of the evaluation panel met with the Taoiseach for an in-depth question and answer format discussion about the Covid-19 pandemic response in Ireland.
 
The discussion is understood to have focused on the government’s response to the pandemic from the period of June 2020 –February 2022, a time in which the Taoiseach was in office that also falls within the Evaluation’s terms of reference.

The discussion also encompassed reflections for future events on the same scale. 

It is understood the Simon Harris has yet to be interviewed, but a spokesperson for the Tánaiste said:

“The Tánaiste will be engaging with the independent Covid-19 evaluation panel.”

However, unlike other Covid-19 inquiry’s which have been held around the world, senior decision-makers’ interviews with Ireland’s pandemic review team will not be aired in public.

At the launch of the inquiry, the chairwoman of the Covid-19 Evaluation Professor Anne Scott said the process was not a public inquiry and was “not here to point fingers”.

A transcript will not be published, but the interviews with key decision-makers will be recorded, she confirmed at the time.

Asked whether the engagement with figures such as health ministers, former chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan and senior members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), would be available to view on a livestream, Prof Scott said:

“No, this isn’t a public inquiry.”

Members of the evaluation panel who conducted the Q&A session with the Taoiseach at Government Buildings on Monday were Chair of the Panel, Prof Scott, along with Professor David Heymann, Dr Nat O’Connor, Dr Nora Strecker, Professor Bert Gordijn and Expert to the Panel, Professor Sara Burke.

The Covid-19 inquiry or “evaluation” as the government prefers to refer to it, is examining the pandemic responses across hospitals, the community, nursing homes, and the economic and societal impacts.

A final comprehensive report is due to be published in the early part of 2027.