Limiting the powers of Covid Inquiry reduces it to nothing more than an exercise to cover up government failings – John Brady TD
Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has sharply criticised the government’s decision to initiate a limited COVID inquiry, stating it falls woefully short of what the country needs and what the victims and families affected deserve. Brady argued that this “evaluation” lacks the necessary powers of compellability—meaning it won’t have the authority to summon key witnesses or demand vital documents. According to Brady, these powers are essential for uncovering the truth about how the COVID response was handled, particularly regarding the management and protection of vulnerable populations in nursing homes.
Brady said:
“This so-called inquiry is little more than a cover-up designed to shield those responsible from facing proper scrutiny, particularly former Minister for Health Simon Harris, now Taoiseach. At the time of the crisis, Taoiseach Simon Harris came under fire for his inadequate response to the urgent pleas from nursing home staff and residents, who were left without the support they so desperately needed.
Across the country, and right here in Wicklow, there were serious failings that put people at unnecessary risk. In nursing homes like Crooksling, staff and residents were left vulnerable, with the government completely unprepared and failing to respond effectively to their cries for help, and tragically vulnerable people lost their lives.
It is critical to emphasise here that a comprehensive inquiry with full powers is crucial not just to examine what went wrong but to ensure that future public health crises are managed more effectively.
This limited evaluation that the government is trying to sell here effectively ignores the real issues, giving the appearance of action without truly holding decision-makers accountable. A thorough investigation would allow us to understand the extent of these failures and, critically, help us learn from them. Instead, the government’s approach appears to be a calculated attempt to sidestep uncomfortable truths and avoid accountability.
The fact is that this decision is a disservice to the families who lost loved ones during the pandemic, particularly those who died in nursing homes and long-term care facilities where protections were gravely insufficient.
These families deserve transparency, not a watered-down inquiry that conveniently avoids probing into the areas that need examination most. By shielding senior officials and failing to compel witnesses to provide evidence, the government is effectively refusing to acknowledge its own shortcomings.”
Calling the move a “con job,” Brady stated:
“This inquiry falls drastically short of what is required to get to the bottom of the failings during COVID. More importantly, it fails to give us the lessons we need to ensure that such lapses in care and support do not happen again. For the people of Wicklow and for all communities affected by these failures, anything less than a full, transparent inquiry with the authority to compel testimony and documents is simply unacceptable.
We need a genuine, empowered inquiry, one capable of uncovering the full truth, holding those responsible to account, and delivering justice to those who were let down.” Ends
For more information contact: Deputy John Brady