Parliament

My Right Honourable friend, the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The government is fully committed to supporting the work of the COVID-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.

The government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures, and different departments organise their response teams in different ways, according to business need. As such, these are not precise figures for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. These costs, including those associated with staff taking time to provide written or oral evidence, are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs 2025/26

The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments. These associated staff costs for Q4 2025/26 are below and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 111 Full Time Equivalents

Q4 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £2,345,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4), total cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £15,145,000 (including contingent labour costs, and retrospective adjustments for Q1-3).

Table: Breakdown of Staff & Costs 2025/26

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (including contingent labour costs)

£5,015,000

£4,299,000

£3,486,000

£2,345,000

£15,145,000

Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (Full Time Equivalents)

248

207

167

111

N/A

</tbody>

Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs 2025/26

Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q4 2025/26 are below and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 legal costs: £1,226,000

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4), total legal costs: £16,346,000 (including retrospective adjustments for Q1-3)

Table: Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs 2025/26

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Total legal costs

£4,993,000

£6,339,000

£3,788,000

£1,226,000

£16,346,000

</tbody>

My Right Honourable friend, the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The government is fully committed to supporting the work of the COVID-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.

The government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures, and different departments organise their response teams in different ways, according to business need. As such, these are not precise figures for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. These costs, including costs associated with staff taking time to provide written or oral evidence, are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs

The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments. These associated staff costs for Q3 2025/26 are below, and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-2.

Q3 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 167 Full Time Equivalents

Q3 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £3,486,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3), total cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £12,800,000 (including contingent labour costs, and retrospective adjustments for Q1-2)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (including contingent labour costs)

£5,015,000

£4,299,000

£3,486,000

£12,800,000

Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (Full Time Equivalents)

248

207

167

N/A

</tbody>

Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs

Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q3 2025/26 are below, and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-2.

Q3 legal costs: £3,633,000

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2 + Q3), total legal costs: £14,965,000 (including retrospective adjustments for Q1-2)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Total legal costs

£5,034,000

£6,298,000

£3,633,000

£14,965,000

</tbody>

My Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister at the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Darren Jones MP, has today made the following statement:

On Thursday 20 November 2025, the Covid-19 Inquiry published their second report, which examined core decision-making and political governance across the UK and put forward 19 recommendations for the Government to consider. Today, the Government published its response and set out the actions we are taking to address them.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a traumatic chapter in our country’s history. Families lost loved ones, businesses suffered or were forced to close, and many across the country were left with life-long health impacts. The government debt built up to cover the economic impact of the crisis is still being paid back today; the impact on NHS waiting lists remains a long-term challenge.

The Government welcomes the Inquiry’s Module 2 report and I want to express my gratitude to Baroness Hallett and her team for their rigorous examination of the issues it raises.

It is a sobering read. Responding to the pandemic was a highly significant logistical challenge to our system of government, and indeed to governments all around the world. However the Module 2 report nevertheless exposes several failures of the government at the time: a failure to respond quickly enough; to treat the impact on vulnerable people and children seriously enough; to provide clear, unequivocal public health messaging; and to turn scientific advice into coherent policy in a transparent, methodical way. There are many lessons to learn from the mistakes, failures – and successes – where they were made.

This government has already made significant changes to its crisis response structures in response to the Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 report. Without effective governance, we cannot expect to respond to crises effectively. The Prime Minister, Cabinet and civil service must be structured, willing and able to make fast, evidence-based and compassionate decisions that will save lives and livelihoods, informed by the scientific evidence. In July 2025, we also published our Resilience Action Plan which explains this government's strategic approach to increasing the UK's resilience. Our response to the Module 2 report today builds on that.

We have already updated the UK Government’s crisis management doctrine, known as the Amber Book, which sets out the decision-making framework for responding to a crisis. This includes establishing the principles for a successful taskforce structure, to oversee the response to protracted whole-of-system crises, and has informed the development of internal risk-specific operational plans for catastrophic risks like pandemics.

The report also notes that clear and inclusive communication is integral to a successful government response to an emergency. The Government Communication Service (GCS) Crisis Communications Operating Model has been updated to clarify communications roles and responsibilities before, during, and in the aftermath of a crisis. We have issued new advice to help departments create robust communication plans for their specific risks, and our STOP model for crisis planning now mandates that all communications consider people with additional needs. This ensures that our messaging is accessible and inclusive by default, in line with the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty, and the British Sign Language Act 2022.

As recommended by the Module 2 report, we are also working towards commencing the socio-economic duty under Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010 in England. Additionally, in 2025, we published updated guidance for identifying and supporting vulnerable people during an emergency.

We have also worked closely with our counterparts in the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to draft our response to this report. Our shared aim is to ensure that intergovernmental machinery is configured to enable better coordination between governments while respecting the importance of local accountability. The devolved governments should be invited to COBR and taskforce meetings during an emergency where relevant. Furthermore, guidance has been updated to ensure the three Chief Scientific Advisers from the devolved governments are invited to SAGE meetings from the very outset of an emergency.

As the Government implements our response to the Module 2 report, our progress will be recorded and tracked transparently using our Covid-19 Inquiry dashboard. These may seem like technical changes, but in an increasingly disruptive global context, having processes in place to make the right marginal call in moments of volatility can have profound and long-lasting impacts.

Many will naturally want to put the difficulty of the Covid-19 behind us, but given the long-lasting impact on the British economy and public services, it is right for government to take these lessons seriously. And we owe it to those who died, suffered and struggled during the pandemic too. I am grateful to Baroness Hallett and her team for their rigorous examination of what went wrong, on the basis of which we are acting, to make sure this and future governments can do better next time.

My Right Honourable friend, the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds, has today made the following statement:

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The government is fully committed to supporting the work of the COVID-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic.

The government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise figures for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. These costs, including costs associated with staff taking time to provide written or oral evidence, are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs

The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments. These associated staff costs for Q2 2025/26 are below.

Q2 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 207 Full Time Equivalents

Q2 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £4,310,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2), total cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £9,314,000 (including contingent labour costs)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (including contingent labour costs)

£5,004,000

£4,310,000

£9,314,000

Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (Full Time Equivalents)

248

207

N/A

</tbody>

Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs

Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q2 2025/26 are below.

Q2 legal costs: £6,186,000

Financial year 2025/26 (Q1 + Q2), total legal costs: £11,380,000

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Cumulative Total for 2025/26

Total legal costs

£5,194,000

£6,186,000

£11,380,000

</tbody>

My Right Honourable friend, the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted each and every person in the UK. The work of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are evidently lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and the government is committed to closely considering the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.

The Government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile, looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. The staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses and associated policy development work on the UK Covid Inquiry are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs

The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments. These associated staff costs for Q1 2025/26 are below.

Q1 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 248 Full Time Equivalents

Q1 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £5,004,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs

Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q1 2025/26 are below.

Q1 legal costs: £5,194,000

My Right Honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Rt Hon. Pat McFadden MP, has today made the following statement:

Today I have updated the House on the publication of the UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan, this government’s strategic approach to resilience. It is the outcome of the resilience review which I announced to the House in July last year.

Alongside this, we have also published our Chronic Risks Analysis, UK Biological Security Strategy Implementation Report and an update on the implementation of the commitments made in the Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 government response.

My Right Honourable friend the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted each and every person in the UK. The work of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are evidently lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and the government is committed to closely considering the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.

The Government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile, looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. The staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses and associated policy development work on the UK Covid Inquiry are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs
The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments. These associated staff costs for Q4 are below, and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 286 Full Time Equivalents

Q4 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £5,575,000 (including contingent

labour costs)

Financial year 2024/25 (Q1-4), total cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £21,591,000 (including contingent labour costs, and retrospective adjustments from Q1-3)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

Cumulative Total

Cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (including contingent labour costs)

£5,051,000

£5,292,000

£5,674,000

£5,575,000

£21,591,000

Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (Full Time Equivalents)

280

284

287

286

N/A

</tbody>

Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs
Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q4 are below, and include retrospective adjustments for Q1-3.

Q4 legal costs: £7,947,000

Financial year 2024/25 (Q1-4), total legal costs: £24,954,000 (including retrospective adjustments from Q1-3)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

Cumulative Total

Total legal costs

£4,956,000

£5,888,000

£6,162,000

£7,947,000

£24,954,000

</tbody>

My Right Honourable friend the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted each and every person in the UK. The work of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are evidently lessons to be learnt from the pandemic and the government is committed to closely considering the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for the future.

The Government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future. The Inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile, looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.

The independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work - and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the Inquiry requires significant input from a number of key government departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the Inquiry alone.

It should be noted that alongside full time resource within departments, Inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. The staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses and associated policy development work on the UK Covid Inquiry are not included in the costs below.

Breakdown of Staff & Costs

The government’s response to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry is led by Inquiry Response Units across departments.

Q3 number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: 287 Full Time Equivalents

Q3 cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £5,674,000 (including contingent labour costs)

Financial year 2024/25 (Q1-3), total cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff: £16,026,000 (including contingent labour costs)

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Cumulative Total

Cost of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (including contingent labour costs)

£5,049,000

£5,303,000

£5,674,000

£16,026,000

Number of UK COVID-19 Inquiry Response Unit staff (Full Time Equivalents)

280

284

287

N/A

</tbody>

Total Inquiry Response Unit Legal Costs

Inquiry Response Units across government departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q3 are below.

Q3 legal costs: £6,050,000

Financial year 2024/25 (Q1-3), total legal costs: £16,104,000

<tbody>

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Cumulative Total

Total legal costs

£4,236,000

£5,818,000

£6,050,000

£16,104,000

</tbody>