29 June 2022: Horam - D

Core participant questions were as follows:

On his TV documentary appearance; he said his subsequent comments in the House of not having the time to prepare adequately for his appearance did reflect his feelings at the time.

On the suggestion that patients knew about the risks of treatment; he said that if it was true, and he assumed it was, then that would have heavily influenced the decision against making payments on moral grounds, in comparison to them not knowing.

On who was responsible for the quality, content, and accuracy of briefings written by civil servants; he said he thought it was the Permanent Secretary.

On there being guidelines for civil servants on the manner and composition of preparing briefings; he said he did not think there were such guidelines. The Chair followed up with an apparent inconsistency on the content of a document and the witness conceded the inconsistency.

The Chair had no further questions.

The witnesses’ final comments included how it was a terrible tragedy and he wishes he could have done more at the time. He hoped the Inquiry (which he felt was being very thorough) would provide people with the answers and outcomes they deserve.

The Chair thanked the witness for providing his insights and in particular on helping the Inquiry to better understand the relationship between Ministers and the Civil Service.

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