The Inquiry continues to progress as fast as is practicable, mindful of the passage of time since the incident and the obligation imposed on it in the Terms of Reference to identify and make meaningful recommendations.
At the Preliminary Hearing on 24th October 2024, the Chair, Sir Ross Cranston, set out the progress of the Inquiry to date and outlined the work that would be required before the Full Hearings in March 2025.
In early December 2024, the Chair held further informal meetings with one of the survivors of the incident and with family members of some of the victims, who are represented by Duncan Lewis, solicitors. The meetings included video-links to France, Iraqi Kurdistan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
The Inquiry began requesting the disclosure of material shortly after its establishment was announced. It published its detailed List of Issues following consultation with Full Participants on 17th June 2024. The Inquiry has continued to receive material by way of disclosure from Full Participants and others.
The extensive process of redacting material disclosed to the Inquiry and considered by the Inquiry to be relevant to its investigation began in the summer of 2024. Disclosure of material to Full Participants following the application of the Redaction Protocol began late in October 2024. The Inquiry expects to have completed the majority of disclosure to Full Participants, including disclosure of witness statements, by the end of 2024.
In response to its initial requests for witness evidence issued at the end of July 2024, the Inquiry has received over sixty witness statements from organisations and individuals involved in the incident or with knowledge relevant to the incident.
The process of identifying those individuals from whom the Inquiry wishes to receive further evidence orally is well advanced, and the Inquiry expects, in line with its Initial Procedural Protocol, to provide a draft witness list and draft timetable to Full Participants early in January 2025.
The Inquiry’s Full Hearings will begin on 3 March 2025 and are expected to last about four weeks. The Full Hearings will take place at The International Dispute Resolution Centre in central London.
The usual sitting times will be from 10 am to 1pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm, Monday to Thursday. The Inquiry does not intend to sit on Fridays, but may need to do so to accommodate timetabling issues.