Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry

What Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry does

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is an independent statutory public body established in February 2022 by Scottish Ministers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate the devolved strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022. It is Scotland's largest-ever public inquiry, operating from a main hearing suite at Waverley Gate in Edinburgh with data protection oversight based at Harper Macleod LLP in Glasgow. The Inquiry employs approximately 94 staff and is chaired by Lord Brailsford. It is publicly funded and provides all outputs free of charge to participants and the public.

The Inquiry's core outputs are informational and evidential rather than commercial. Its digital infrastructure comprises a document and evidence library (witness statements, transcripts, expert reports, documentary evidence), the Let's Be Heard public participation project, and a YouTube channel broadcasting all public hearings. Web analytics are handled via Google Analytics 4 and Microsoft Clarity. Major deliverables to date include the Narrative Record on Health and Social Care Impact (published March 2026, summarising evidence from 156 witnesses over 53 hearing days and 16 weeks), the Voices of Children and Young People case study (engaging 2,000+ respondents via Let's Be Heard), and a commissioned expert report on post-viral infection syndromes including long COVID by Professors Brightling and Evans of the University of Leicester.

The Inquiry does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded by the Scottish Government, has no subsidiaries or investment ownership, and serves a public-interest mandate rather than a market. Its customer-facing participants fall into three categories: members of the public affected by the pandemic, healthcare and social care organisations providing institutional testimony, and core participants (advocacy groups, unions, professional bodies) granted formal status under the Inquiry's rules. Investigative workstreams cover health/social care impacts (completed), lockdown and non-pharmaceutical interventions (hearings held September–October 2025), and implementation of government decisions (hearings scheduled October 2026), with the final deliverable being recommendations to Scottish Ministers on future pandemic preparedness.

Name

Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry

Legal name

Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry

Website

https://covid19inquiry.scot

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is an independent statutory public body established in 2022 under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate Scotland's devolved COVID-19 pandemic response (2020–2022), conducting public hearings, publishing reports, and issuing recommendations to Scottish Ministers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Inquiry Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

akta.pro primary industry

Syndromic & Event-Based Surveillance (HLAJANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Syndromic Surveillance & Early Warning Systems (HLAJABAB)

Keywords

• Public inquiry services
• Statutory investigations
• Pandemic response review
• Evidence collection hearings
• Witness testimony proceedings

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is a statutory public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate the devolved strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022. It conducts public hearings, collects witness testimony and documentary evidence, engages the public through the Let's Be Heard participation project, and publishes inquiry reports and case studies. Its output is a factual record, lessons learned, and recommendations to Scottish Ministers for future pandemic preparedness.

Product overview

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is Scotland's largest-ever public inquiry, established to investigate the devolved strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022. Rather than offering a commercial product, the Inquiry provides a suite of informational resources and public engagement tools: its core digital offerings include the Document and Evidence Library for accessing witness statements and transcripts, the Let's Be Heard public participation project for gathering citizen experiences, and published reports including the Narrative Record covering health and social care impacts and case studies on children's experiences. Public hearings are broadcast via YouTube, making proceedings accessible to all Scots. The Inquiry operates independently of government to establish facts, identify lessons learned, and make recommendations to Scottish Ministers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Let's Be Heard
• Document and Evidence Library
• Narrative Record: Health and Social Care Impact Hearings
• Post-Viral Infection Syndromes Report
• Public Hearings Broadcast and recorded public hearings examining different aspects of Scotland's COVID-19 pandemic response, held at Waverley Gate in Edinburgh and streamed live on the Inquiry's YouTube channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 156 witnesses provided oral evidence across 53 hearing days
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• University of Leicester (Professors Brightling and Evans)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Commissioned expert report on post-viral and other post-acute infection syndromes, including long COVID. Professors Chris Brightling and Rachael Evans authored the report drawing on decades of clinical research and leadership of UK's largest long COVID studies.
• Let's Be Heard (Public Participation Project)coreOthers · 28 August 2023The Inquiry's public participation project that engages people across Scotland to share their experiences of the pandemic. Has collected insights from more than 2,000 children and young people. Published case studies including 'Voices of Children and Young People'.
• Scottish GovernmentcoreOthers · 1 February 2022The Inquiry was established by Scottish Ministers under the Inquiries Act 2005. Scottish Ministers set the Terms of Reference, and the Inquiry will make recommendations to Scottish Ministers. Funded by the Scottish Government.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety (Australia): Australian Royal Commission investigating aged care quality and safety. Comparable as a public inquiry of similar scale examining systemic failures in care services with similar statutory powers and output format.
• COVID-19 Inquiry (Ireland): Ireland's statutory public inquiry into the State's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparable as a sister-jurisdiction pandemic inquiry with similar methodology, statutory foundation, and Terms of Reference.
• Royal Commission into COVID-19 (New Zealand): New Zealand's Royal Commission of Inquiry into the COVID-19 response. Comparable as a public inquiry investigating pandemic response in a different jurisdiction, sharing similar scope and methodology.

Direct peers

• Infected Blood Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff investigating the contaminated blood scandal. Comparable as a major UK public inquiry examining systemic government failures with public health consequences.
• Undercover Policing Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry examining undercover policing operations. Comparable as a UK statutory inquiry using the Inquiries Act 2005 framework with similar evidence-gathering and reporting processes.
• Manchester Arena Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry chaired by Sir John Saunders investigating the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. Comparable as a UK statutory inquiry with similar structure for examining public safety failures and producing recommendations.
• Grenfell Tower Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick investigating the Grenfell Tower fire. Comparable as a UK statutory inquiry examining a public disaster with similar powers to compel evidence and produce findings/recommendations.
• Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: UK statutory public inquiry chaired by Sir Wyn Williams investigating the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Comparable as a UK statutory inquiry with similar scope, powers, and public participation model.
• Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA): UK statutory public inquiry examining child sexual abuse institutional failures. Comparable as a major UK statutory inquiry with similar scope, statutory powers, and structured public engagement model.
• UK COVID-19 Inquiry: Statutory UK-wide public inquiry chaired by Baroness Hallett investigating the response to COVID-19 across the UK. Directly comparable as the most prominent sister inquiry investigating the same pandemic response with statutory powers under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@covidinquirysco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/covidinquirysco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry