UK COVID-19 Inquiry

The UK government should: abolish the lead government department model for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience; and require the Cabinet Office to lead on preparing for and building resilience to whole-system civil emergencies across UK government departments, including monitoring the preparedness and resilience of other departments, supporting departments to correct problems, and escalating issues to the UK Cabinet-level ministerial committee and group of senior officials.

The UK government and devolved administrations should together introduce a UK-wide whole-system civil emergency strategy (which includes pandemics) to prevent each emergency and also to reduce, control and mitigate its effects. The strategy should: be adaptable; include sections dedicated to each potential whole-system civil emergency; consider a wide range of potential scenarios for each type of emergency; identify the key issues and set out a range of potential responses; identify how the strategy is to be applied to ensure that any potential responses are proportionate; include an assessment of the potential health, social and economic impacts; and include an assessment of the infrastructure, technology and skills the UK needs to respond effectively.

The governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should each produce and publish reports to their respective legislatures at least every three years on whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience. The reports should include as a minimum: the risks that each government has identified are likely to result in whole-system civil emergencies; the recommendations that have been made to each government to mitigate those risks, and whether these recommendations have been accepted or rejected; a cost–benefit analysis setting out the economic and social costs of accepting the risks as against taking action to mitigate the risks; who may be vulnerable to the risks and what steps are being taken to mitigate those risks; a plan setting out the timescales for implementing the recommendations that have been accepted; and an update on the progress that has been made on implementing previously accepted recommendations.

The UK government and devolved administrations should ensure that the draft affirmative procedure is the standard process for enacting substantial and wide-ranging powers in a civil emergency, such as a pandemic, under primary public health legislation. Any departure from this procedure should be the exception, with clear criteria and safeguards in place to prevent the bypassing of parliamentary scrutiny.

The UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive should develop an online portal for use in future civil emergencies, where members of the public can access information on the legal restrictions that apply in their area and any associated guidance.