Summary

  • Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has given evidence to the UK Covid-19 inquiry

  • Drakeford admitted the Welsh government wasn't as prepared for the pandemic as it could have been

  • Earlier the inquiry heard from ex-health minister Vaughan Gething who said he could have sped up pandemic plans if he spent more time on them

  • It also heard from Dr Quentin Sandifer, consultant adviser on pandemic and international health, and former head of NHS Wales Dr Andrew Goodall

  • No-one will be found "guilty" or "innocent" in the inquiry - the idea is to learn lessons

  • The inquiry focused on how Wales prepared for the pandemic, in hearings on Monday and Tuesday

Live Reporting

Edited by John Arkless and Emily McGarvey

  1. Welcome

    Thanks for joining us today for our live page following day 13 of the Covid-19 inquiry.

    Today two senior officials from the Welsh government will be quizzed on how prepared the country was for a pandemic.

    It is the first time officials from Wales have given evidence to the inquiry.

    First up at 14:00 BST will be Sir Frank Atherton, the current chief medical officer for Wales – the most senior medical adviser to the government.

    After him we will hear from Dr Andrew Goodall. He is Wales most senior civil servant – currently serving as the permanent secretary to the Welsh government.

    But when the pandemic began he was chief executive of the Welsh NHS.