Scotland’s blockbuster Covid inquiry will be headed up by an expert with strong links to the north-east.
Lady Poole QC has been appointed by ministers to chair the process, which will look at the successes and failures of the Scottish Government ’s response to coronavirus.
She is likely to become an important figure as the inquiry unfolds – and has already vowed not to “shy away” from mistakes made at the most senior levels of government.
Who is Lady Poole?
Anna Poole is among an illustrious list of names to have attended Madras College in St Andrews while she was in secondary school.
The top judge earned a law degree from Oxford University before returning to Scotland and establishing herself as one of the country’s foremost legal experts.
After returning to Scotland and working as a solicitor, Lady Poole spent some time working as a research assistant at Dundee University.
She also completed a separate course in arbitration at Aberdeen University.
In early 2020, the top QC was elevated to the country’s supreme court, making her a senator of the College of Justice of Scotland.
Her appointment was hailed as a “major asset” for the bench.
What will her inquiry cover?
Lady Poole’s investigation will be tasked with examining 12 different aspects of how Holyrood ministers tackled Covid.
Under the spotlight will be whether Nicola Sturgeon was right to impose lockdown restrictions on the country, and how harshly measures aimed at stopping Covid impacted Scots.
Ministers can expect to be critiqued over support given to businesses who were forced to close and workers who had to stay at home.
Key areas of focus include determining how prepared the SNP were for a pandemic in advance of Covid and how virus outbreaks were managed.
The vaccine rollout is to be scrutinised, while Lady Poole’s team will probe the government’s controversial decision to transfer hospital patients back to care homes early in the pandemic.
After she was appointed to chair the inquiry, Lady Poole warned she would not “shy away” from reporting on errors made by Ms Sturgeon’s administration.
She said: “People have legitimate questions about the handling of the pandemic in Scotland. This inquiry had been set up to provide answers.
“My role as chair of the Scottish Covid-19 inquiry is to investigate aspects of the devolved response to the pandemic in Scotland and report about lessons learned.
“The inquiry will not shy away from making findings where wrong decisions were made or where the response was inadequate or fell short.”
In December, SNP deputy first minister John Swinney said Lady Poole was “highly qualified” to chair the inquiry.
When can we expect answers?
Due to the scope of Lady Poole’s independent investigation, it could be some time before her findings are made public.
Her Covid inquiry was officially launched in May, with a website outlining the probe’s objectives.
The Supreme Court judge will take evidence from members of the public who were affected by the pandemic, and senior politicians who were responsible for making key decisions.
Some SNP rivals have called on the inquiry to deliver interim findings within a year of starting.