A leading GP and writer on medical issues has called on the Attorney General to launch a public inquiry into the death of a 10-year-old boy from Wales.
Dr Phil Hammond said the UK Government had to allow a public inquiry into the death of Robbie Powell, from Ystradgynlais, and into the events which followed it.
Robbie died in April 1990 of a rare but treatable condition called Addison’s Disease.
He had been seen by five different doctors in the fortnight before he died.
Over the years there have been several investigations into the care Robbie Powell received. But none of these has provided the family with satisfaction.
When Carwyn Jones became First Minister, he wrote to the UK government for permission to include the actions of the police and CPS in a public inquiry. It refused.
So Mr Jones set up a non-statutory independent inquiry to be conducted by a leading barrister, Nicholas David Jones. Unlike the public inquiry which the family wanted, it would not be able to force witnesses to give evidence.
When the report was published in July 2012, Carwyn Jones issued an apology on behalf of the Welsh Government for the failures in the system which led to Robbie’s death.
Last month ITV Wales’ Wales This Week programme revealed that the First Minister had overseen a number of redactions to the report.
These included the removal of the inquest verdict.
Carwyn Jones refused to answer questions on individual redactions in the programme but did an interview on the report in general.
In a statement, the Welsh Government said: “When deciding what to redact, it was necessary for the First Minister to take into account the fact that some documentation was held under a duty of confidence, as well as the need for compliance with data protection requirements and the need to present a fair account.
“The First Minister is content that the redactions did not detract from the overall conclusions and issues that were identified.”
Opposition Leader Andrew RT Davies told the Senedd the day after the programme that the First Minister should make a fresh statement to assembly members explaining the reasons behind the removal of parts of the report.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said the Wales This Week investigation had revealed “unusual and questionable” redactions.
Greg Lewis 
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