Hearings mean that witnesses can give evidence orally, as well as in a written form. They are an important part of the inquisitorial process, so the Chair can establish as complete an understanding of the facts as possible.
All hearings will be open to the public and media unless a Restriction Order is in place or a commemorative impact account is being delivered and the witness has asked for it to remain private. Private sessions do not diminish the importance of the evidence being provided nor do they undermine the Inquiry’s commitment to transparency. They reflect the Inquiry’s commitment to conducting this process with fairness, sensitivity, and care for all those engaging with the Inquiry.
More information on Restrictions Orders can be found here.
Not everyone who provides a witness statement to the Inquiry will need to then attend hearings to give evidence in person.
Those who are called will be told in good time, and support will be available to anyone attending at the Inquiry’s request.
The Inquiry is intending to hold its first public hearings from 9 September 2024 for three weeks. The hearings will be held in public and will be live streamed. It will therefore be possible to watch the hearings either in person or remotely.
The hearings in September will include opening statements to the Inquiry and impact evidence where the Chair can hear from people directly affected by the issues under investigation.
Further hearings will take place in late November. These hearings will be held remotely, with everyone participating and watching online.
More details on these public hearings will be shared after the General Election.
The Inquiry’s hearings for 2025 and 2026 will be held at Arundel House, near Temple Underground Station in London.
It will not be necessary to attend hearings to view what is taking place. Hearings will be filmed and a live feed will be available for those wishing to follow proceedings. A secure link will also be made available to core participants and their legal representatives.
Yes. Unless specified, all hearings will be open to the public to attend. Depending on their location, the Inquiry may require prior registration for reasons of capacity.
The Inquiry is committed to treating people fairly and will make reasonable adjustments where necessary.
If you have been asked to attend a hearing by the Inquiry, please do let us know if you have any disabilities or additional needs. This could be a physical or mental health issue, a learning disability or neurodiversity or another condition that may prevent you from participating fully. We will work with you as best we can to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made.
A reasonable adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places an individual, in this instance who is engaging with the Inquiry, at a substantial disadvantage. Examples include providing information in a different format, or the use of regular breaks. These can be agreed in consultation with the Inquiry team.
Special measures are linked to the way in which a witness will give evidence at a hearing and will usually require a formal application to be made. Examples of Special Measures may be that a witness provides evidence behind a screen, or via video-link.
More information on how to make an application for special measures can be found here.
