THE INDEPENDENT PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO UROLOGY SERVICES IN THE SOUTHERN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE TRUST - Chair's Notice - Issue 47 - WARNING

Sep 13, 2026

Formal correspondence from the Independent Public Inquiry into Urology Services in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust requesting compliance with a Statutory Notice under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005. The letter explains the requirement to provide evidence as a written statement using an enclosed template witness statement, describes the schedule of matters to be covered, and notes that statements may be published. It includes guidance, time limits, acknowledgement by email, and contact details, and it highlights statutory consequences for non-compliance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages168

Reading Time59 min

AccessFree to download

Chair's Notice

WARNING

Requirements and timeline

Evidence and witness statement template

Acknowledgement and contact

WIT-41998 Siobhan Hynds Deputy Director-HR Services Southern Health and Social Care Trust Craigavon Area Hospital, 68 Lurgan Road, Portadown, BT63 5QQ 29 April 2022 Dear Madam, Re: The Statutory Independent Public Inquiry into Urology Services in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust Provision of a Section 21 Notice requiring the provision of evidence in the form of a written statement I am writing to you in my capacity as Solicitor to the Independent Public Inquiry into Urology Services in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (the Urology Services Inquiry) which has been set up under the Inquiries Act 2005 ('the Act'). I enclose a copy of the Urology Services Inquiry's Terms of Reference for your information. You will be aware that the Inquiry has commenced its investigations into the matters set out in its Terms of Reference. The Inquiry is continuing with the process of gathering all of the relevant documentation from relevant departments, organisations and individuals. In addition, the Inquiry has also now begun the process of requiring individuals who have been, or may have been, involved in the range of matters which come within the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference to provide written evidence to the Inquiry panel. The Urology Services Inquiry is now issuing to you a Statutory Notice (known asa Section 21 Notice) pursuant to its powers to compel the provision of evidence in the form of a written statement in relation to the matters falling within its Terms of Reference. The Inquiry is aware that you have held posts relevant to the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference. The Inquiry understands that you will have access to all of the relevant information required to provide the witness statement required now or at any stage 1 Issued by Urology Services Inquiry on 29 April 2022. Annotated by the Urology Services Inquiry. WIT-41999 throughout the duration of this Inquiry. Should you consider that not to be the case, please advise us of that as soon as possible. The Schedule to the enclosed Section 21 Notice provides full details as to the matters which should be covered in the written evidence which is required from you. As the text of the Section 21 Notice explains, you are required by law to comply with it. Please bear in mind the fact that the witness statement required by the enclosed Notice is likely (in common with many other statements we will request) to be published by the Inquiry in due course. It should therefore ideally be written in a manner which is as accessible as possible in terms of public understanding. You will note that certain questions raise issues regarding documentation. As you are aware the Trust has already responded to our earlier Section 21 Notice requesting documentation from the Trust as an organisation. However if you in your personal capacity hold any additional documentation which you consider is of relevance to our work and is not within the custody or power of the Trust and has not been provided to us to date, then we would ask that this is also provided with this response. If it would assist you, I am happy to meet with you and/or the Trust's legal representative(s) to discuss what documents you have and whether they are covered by the Section 21 Notice. You will also find attached to the Section 21 Notice a Guidance Note explaining the nature of a Section 21 Notice and the procedures that the Inquiry has adopted in relation to such a notice. In particular, you are asked to provide your evidence in the form of the template witness statement which is also enclosed with this correspondence. In addition, as referred to above, you will also find enclosed a copy of the Inquiry's Terms of Reference to assist you in understanding the scope of the Inquiry's work and therefore the ambit of the Section 21 Notice. Given the tight time-frame within which the Inquiry must operate, the Chair of the Inquiry would be grateful if you would comply with the requi

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Statutory Notice in this correspondence?

It is a Section 21 Notice issued by the Urology Services Inquiry requiring provision of evidence in the form of a written statement relating to matters in the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference.

How is the witness statement evidence supposed to be prepared?

The recipient is asked to use the enclosed template witness statement and address the matters listed in the schedule to the Notice. The letter notes statements are likely to be published and should be written to be accessible for public understanding.

What happens if the recipient does not comply with the Notice requirements?

The Chair’s Notice warns that failure to comply without reasonable excuse may constitute an offence under the Inquiries Act 2005 and can lead to imprisonment and/or a fine. It also warns the Chair may certify the matter to the High Court, where contempt of court consequences may follow.

Sep 13, 2026

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