The UK Government covid-19 inquiry

In May 2021, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that there would be a statutory inquiry into the covid-19 pandemic. The government said the inquiry would examine, consider and report on preparations for, and the response to, the pandemic in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The inquiry website provides information about the structure of the inquiry, which includes ten themes that have been grouped into modules. The modules include those on resilience and preparedness, decision-making and political governance, and vaccines and therapeutics.

The inquiry’s terms of reference have been published and Baroness Heather Hallett has been appointed as the Inquiry Chair.

The inquiry was established as a statutory inquiry using powers available the Inquiries Act 2005. The Library’s briefing, Statutory public inquiries: the Inquiries Act 2005, explains how statutory inquiries are formally established and governed.     

Module One

The inquiry has so far completed one module, which examined the resilience and preparedness of the UK. The inquiry published its report for module one in July 2024. The report acknowledged difficulties associated with pandemic preparedness but concluded that the UK’s ability to deal with a pandemic “suffered from several significant flaws”.  The report highlighted shortcomings in the approach to risk assessment, which it said led to inadequate planning to manage and prevent risks. The report also said there had been a failure to fully learn from past civil emergency exercises and disease outbreaks. The report said Ministers often did not have specialised training in civil contingencies, and did not receive a broad enough range of scientific advice, and often failed to challenge the advice they did get.

The report made several recommendations, including for a “radical” simplification of civil emergency preparedness and resilience systems, improvements to the risk assessment process. The report also recommended holding a UK-wide pandemic response exercise at least every three years and publishing the outcome and bringing in external expertise from outside government and the Civil Service to challenge ‘groupthink’.

Government response

The UK Government published its response to the module 1 report in January 2025. It noted that the government had announced a review of national resilience in July 2024, as a “direct and immediate response” to the module one report.

Additionally, the government noted other work it had undertaken in response to the report’s recommendations. This included establishing a single Cabinet committee for resilience to ensure clear Ministerial oversight and reviewing and strengthening national risk assessment and bringing in greater external challenge. The government also highlighted the launch of its ‘prepare’ website, which provides advice to individuals, households and communities on preparing for emergencies, and the publication of a National Risk Register.

The Lords Library briefing, UK covid-19 Inquiry report: Resilience and preparedness, provides more information about the module one report and the government’s initial response to it.

The inquiry has taken evidence for the other nine modules but is yet to report on these.

The Scottish Government covid-19 inquiry

The Scottish Government has established its own statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005. The inquiry’s terms of reference set out its aim as being to establish the facts of, and learn lessons from, the strategic response to the covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. The inquiry is now being chaired by the Hon. Lord Brailsford, who replaced the Hon. Lady Poole.

Covid-19 commemoration

The UK Government established the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration to reach a broad consensus on how to commemorate the covid-19 pandemic. The commission held a consultation between October 2022 and December 2022, asking the public how they felt the pandemic should be remembered.

The Commission published a final report in March 2023 and made ten recommendations. The recommendations included establishing a UK-wide day of reflection which would be held annually on the first Sunday of March and that plans to preserve the National Covid Memorial Wall should be supported.

A Day of Reflection took place across the UK on 9 March 2025. The government published information about events and places of reflection.

In April 2025, the government said it wanted to carefully consider all the Commission’s recommendations, while working with Bereaved Family groups, wider stakeholders and the Devolved Governments, and would publish a response to the report in due course. The government noted that, since the publication of the report, a number of memorials have been developed across the country by local Government, local business and community groups.

The National Covid Memorial Wall in London is located along the River Thames and opposite the Houses of Parliament. It hosts more than 240,000 hand-painted red hearts representing a person who died in the UK with covid-19 as a direct cause of death. The government has said it recognises the wall’s significance and special role in supporting bereaved families to remember their loved ones.

The government has acknowledged a recommendation in the commission’s final report to preserve the wall and has said it is working with partners to consider options for its preservation.

Parliamentary research on covid-19

The House of Commons Library, House of Lords Library, and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) have published a wide range of research on covid-19. This research can be accessed by searching ‘covid-19’, ‘covid’ or ‘coronavirus’.

Below, we have included a selection of briefing papers on the pandemic and related issues:

Parliamentary material

Parliamentary questions

Covid-19 Inquiry: Cost Effectiveness

8 May 2025 | UIN 49442

Asked by: James Wild

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled UK Covid-19 Inquiry Management Statement, published in August 2022, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the Covid-19 public inquiry represents value for money.

Answering member: Ms Abena Oppong-Asare | Cabinet Office

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is an independent public inquiry, established by the previous administration.

In line with the UK Covid-19 Management Statement, the Inquiry’s Accounting Officer must conform to value for money and good financial management requirements and must provide financial updates to the Cabinet Office as its sponsor department.

The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work and she has been clear that she intends to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Covid-19 Inquiry

10 March 2025 | UIN 35211

Asked by: James McMurdock

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much each Department has spent on legal costs in responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Answering member: Nick Thomas-Symonds | Cabinet Office

It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is independent of government and it is right that we allow the Chair to continue her important work. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work, and she has been clear in her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Cabinet Office regularly publishes government costs, including legal costs, in responding to the Inquiry. These publications show that from the start of the 2023/24 financial year to the end of Q3 2024/25, the government has spent approximately £42.3m on legal costs.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

20 January 2025 | UIN 24011

Asked by: Chris Coghlan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of waiting until the publication of the final Module 3 Covid-19 Inquiry report to (a) recognise the role of airborne transmission of SARS-Cov-2 and (b) update (i) Infection Prevention Controls guidance in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and (ii) Health Technical Memoranda guidelines to limit airborne transmission of (A) Covid-19 and (B) other respiratory viruses on (1) health workers and (2) patients.

Answering member: Andrew Gwynne | Department of Health and Social Care

NHS England maintains efforts to evaluate potential revisions to the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM), which aim to maintain high infection, prevention, and control standards. Any updates will ensure consistent application across healthcare settings. Current guidance balances scientific evidence, operational feasibility, and sustainable infection, prevention, and control practices to protect healthcare workers and patients.

Delaying NIPCM updates until the final Module 3 COVID-19 inquiry report risks greater exposure to infection, slower practice improvements, and training gaps. Timely updates, based on emerging evidence, strengthen healthcare worker and patient safety through evidence-based, locally adapted measures.

The updated acute respiratory virus guidance, published in March 2024, advises adult social care providers on precautions for preventing respiratory infection transmission, addressing masks, ventilation, and other measures based on current evidence. The acute respiratory virus guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infection-prevention-and-control-in-adult-social-care-acute-respiratory-infection/infection-prevention-and-control-ipc-in-adult-social-care-acute-respiratory-infection-ari

Coronavirus: Monuments

8 April 2025 | UIN HL6252

Asked by: Lord Katz

To ask His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Lambeth Council, Friends of the Wall, and other volunteer groups about the ongoing maintenance of the National Covid Memorial Wall, and what assessment they have made of ongoing maintenance costs.

Answering member: Baroness Twycross | Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Government recognises the significance of the National Covid Memorial Wall in London and its special role in supporting bereaved families to remember their loved ones. Its preservation was specifically recommended by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration.

The Government is working closely with local partners including the Friends of the Wall and Lambeth Council, and other key partners to consider options, including the likely costs, for the longer term preservation of the Wall. We will respond to the report by the UK Commission in due course.

Debates

Covid-19: Day of Reflection

20 March 2025 | House of Lords Chamber | 844 cc1399-1409

Covid-19 Inquiry

23 January 2025 | House of Lords Chamber | 842 cc1817-1830

Written statements

UK COVID-19 Inquiry response costs for Quarter 3 24/25]

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent | Baroness in Waiting (Government Whip)

27 February 2025 | HLWS475

Committee inquiries and reports

Reports and press articles

The following is a selection of news and media articles relevant to this debate. Please note: the Library is not responsible for either the views or the accuracy of external content.

Related posts