Parliament
279 mentions of the inquiry in Parliament: debates, written questions and statements, oral questions and early day motions, from Hansard.
Gary Lineker's contribution to Match of the Day
That this House pays tribute to the extraordinary career and enduring legacy of Gary Lineker as he retires from his role on Match of the Day; celebrates him not only as one of England’s greatest ever goal scorers and a former England team captain, but as the beating heart of Leicester City FC, the club he has always called home; applauds his unwavering composure, both as a player renowned for his calmness under pressure and as a broadcaster whose clarity and humour became the voice of Saturda...
Driving tests in Hampshire
That this House notes significant backlogs in access to practical driving tests in Hampshire; recognises the impacts on young drivers and access to employment opportunities; acknowledges new measures introduced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, including the recruitment of additional examiners and the extension of the driving test cancellation period from three to ten working days; expresses concern over the growth of third-party reselling sites and reports of botting of the driving...
New Lord Lieutenant of Moray
That this House congratulates Air Commodore Alistair Monkman CBE on his appointment as Lord Lieutenant of Moray; pays tribute to the exemplary service of his predecessor, Major General Seymour Monro CBE LVO, who served with distinction for five years and demonstrated outstanding leadership and compassion, particularly during the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic, including co-founding the Moray Emergency Relief Fund; commends Major General Monro’s dedicated involvement in supporting disadva...
Covid-19 Inquiry: Cost Effectiveness
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.
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.
Read full answer →Challenges in the hair and beauty sector
That this House is concerned by the challenges facing the hair and beauty industry due to the labour-intensive nature of the sector and structural issues within the VAT system, challenges to the employer model, and the lingering impact of the covid-19 pandemic; acknowledges the year-round demand for these services and the value they bring to high streets; notes the British Hair Consortium report which estimates a loss of £2.4 billion in VAT receipts since 2009; recognises the fast growth of t...
Black Maternal Health Awareness Week 2025
That this House notes with concern that Black women in the UK are still three times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth, and Asian women are two times more likely; is further concerned by reports from MMBRACE UK’s maternity mortality data which indicates a statistically significant increase in the overall maternal death rate in the UK in 2020-22 and that this increase remained statistically significant when deaths due to covid-19 were excluded; acknowledges that racial dispariti...
Health Services: Autism
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of autistic people in pandemics.
Ensuring that the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in our approach to pandemic preparedness. We aim to have flexible, adaptable, and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, rather than relying on plans for specific threats. The strategic approach to pandemic preparedness recognises the disproportionate impacts that pandemics can have on particular people and groups.
The Government’s response to module one of the COVID-19 inquiry sets out the changes we have made to risk planning and data management to help ensure that we reduce potential unequal impacts on particular groups or individuals and targeting support where it can be of best help in civil emergency planning and management. The response is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-response-to-the-covid-19-inquiry-module-1-report
The Department commissioned independent research by the Policy Innovation Research Unit into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people and their families, which was published in May 2021 and is available at the following link:
https://piru.ac.uk/research/completed-projects/covid-19-impact-on-autistic-people-in-the-uk.html
More broadly, we are taking steps to improve the accessibility of services and information for autistic people. To make it easier for disabled people to use health services, there is work underway in NHS England to make sure that staff in health settings know if they need to make reasonable adjustments for people. This includes the development of a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which enables the recording of key information about a patient, including if a person is autistic, and their reasonable adjustment needs, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately.
Read full answer →Diseases: Impact Assessments
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the process and criteria for triggering an economic impact assessment of a new disease in the Treasury; and whether they are undertaking an assessment of the suitability of that process and criteria against long Covid, as a condition that did not exist five years ago.
HM Treasury has a comprehensive framework for assessing and managing potential risks to the economic and fiscal outlook, including those posed by new diseases. This framework involves systematic monitoring through internal risk monitors, risk governance forums, and collaboration with other government departments such as the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). In escalatory scenarios, such as where a new disease with high transmission rates emerges, HM Treasury is prepared to conduct economic impact assessments to inform policy and response plans.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HM Treasury officials engaged with other Government departments to consider the implications of long COVID, including assisting with preparations for the DHSC long COVID Oversight Board. HM Treasury will provide more information on its efforts to understand the economic implications of long COVID-19 to the ongoing COVID-19 inquiry.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Day of Reflection 2025
That this House recognises 9 March as the Covid-19 Day of Reflection, a time to remember the lives lost during the pandemic and to acknowledge the profound impact on families, communities, and frontline workers; pays tribute to those who worked tirelessly to protect public health and support those affected; regrets that insufficient action has been taken to learn from the mistakes of the pandemic response; urges the Government to fully implement the recommendations of public health experts an...
Covid-19 Inquiry
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure the transparency of all spending related to the Government's response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
The Government regularly publishes the cost to government in responding to the Inquiry. Most recently, costs for Quarter 3 2024/25 were published on 3 March 2025.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry
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.
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.
Read full answer →UK COVID-19 Inquiry response costs for Quarter 3 24/25]
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 reco...
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>
Read full answer →UK COVID-19 Inquiry response costs for Quarter 3 24/25
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 wh...
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>
Read full answer →Climate Change and Disease Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the UK's biosecurity resilience against (a) invasive species, (b) plant diseases, (c) animal diseases and (d) other emerging threats; and what steps he is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of climate change on agricultural ecological systems.
Our biosecurity is paramount – it underpins safe food; protects human, animal and plant health; and supports a prospering economy and trade. We have in place robust measures to maintain and improve our ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from outbreaks, both those that affect animals and those that affect plants.
The government has announced it will set up a new National Biosecurity Centre, which will strengthen the UK's defences against animal diseases that threaten farming, food security, trade and public health.
As the Chancellor announced in the Autumn 2024 budget, there is £208 million in funding over 2024-2026 to transform the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) animal health facility at Weybridge.
Defra is playing its part in responding to the recommendations of Module 1 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. We have been reviewing our plans and processes within the department which will be tested through the upcoming national pandemic response exercise.
Read full answer →Long Covid and ME/CFS: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether steps to strengthen care for (a) ME, (b) Long Covid and (c) other infection-associated chronic conditions will be included in plans to bolster the UK’s preparedness for future pandemics.
Ensuring that the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in our approach to pandemic preparedness. We aim to have flexible, adaptable, and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, rather than relying on plans for specific threats.
The Government’s response to module one of the COVID-19 inquiry sets out the changes we have made to risk planning and data management to help ensure that we are reducing any disproportionate impacts on any groups or individuals, and targeting support where it can be of best help in civil emergency planning and management. The response is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-response-to-the-covid-19-inquiry-module-1-report
The Government is committed to ensuring that there are quality services for people suffering with long COVID in every part of the country. NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID-19 services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, developing digital self-management tools, and investing in ensuring that general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.
The Government has also invested over £57 million into long COVID research. This aims to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, and to evaluate clinical care.
Read full answer →School absences
That this House notes with concern the impact of low school attendance on pupils' futures; acknowledges the significant effect of covid-19 on overall absence rates, which have increased by 57% since 2015; further notes with alarm that 26.5% of secondary school pupils in West Berkshire were persistently absent in 2023; recognises the detrimental consequences of high absence rates on children’s educational achievements and future opportunities; calls on the Government to prioritise addressing t...
Coronavirus: Vaccination
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 20 of his Department's Opening Statement to Module 4 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, published 15 January 2025, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) deaths, (b) infections and (c) hospitalisations that were prevented by the covid-19 vaccination programme since September 2021.
The estimated total averted hospitalisations, severe hospitalisations, and deaths for the spring and autumn 2023 boosters were:
- 1,654 hospitalisations, 108 severe, and 508 deaths for the spring 2023 booster program in those aged 75 years old and over; and
- 7,054 hospitalisations, 473 severe, and 1,862 deaths for the autumn 2023 booster program in those aged 65 years old and over.
This can be found in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report week 29, which is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669923b20808eaf43b50d1fd/Vaccine_surveillance_report_2024_week_29.pdf
In total, an estimated 14,400 hospitalisations were averted in adults aged 50 years old and older in England as a result of the vaccination from the autumn 2022 COVID-19 vaccine booster programme. This information is in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report week 41, which is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6527f0bfaea2d0000d219c69/vaccine-surveillance-report-2023-week-41.pdf
These are a direct effect calculation and do not include any additional cases prevented from herd immunity. They also do not include cases averted where COVID-19 exacerbated a non-respiratory condition that led to hospitalisation.
In total, an estimated 18,600 hospitalisations, based on cases reported through the Sari-Watch surveillance scheme, were averted in adults aged 50 years old and older in England as a result of vaccination from the autumn 2021 COVID-19 vaccine booster programme. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62c6c2168fa8f54e855dfe29/Vaccine-surveillance-report-week-27.pdf
This was also a direct effect calculation method.
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry: Costs
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the cost to date for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry; and what estimate they have made of the future budget in each of the next two years.
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 UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes quarterly financial reports outlining the cost to date of the Inquiry. As of the end of Quarter 2 for 2024/25, the total expenditure of the Inquiry is £124.18m. New Q3 costs will be published in the usual way.
Additionally, the Cabinet Office regularly publishes government costs in responding to the Inquiry. From the start of the 2023/24 financial year to the end of Q2 2024/25, the government response costs total £64.6m.
Read full answer →Coronavirus: Vaccination
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 20 of his Department's written opening statement to Module 4 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry of 20 December 2024, INQ000474799, on what evidential basis his Department said that the covid-19 vaccine programme had prevented between 23.7 and 24.1 million infections.
The evidential basis refers to page four of the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report: Week 38, published by Public Health England on 23 September 2021. The report is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614c53a28fa8f56113bf6472/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_38.pdf
The report assessed the impact of the vaccination programme on the population by taking into account vaccine coverage, evidence on vaccine effectiveness, and the latest COVID-19 disease surveillance indicators. These figures were, at the time of the report, the latest estimates on the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on mortality.
Read full answer →Coronavirus: Vaccination
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 20 of his Department's written opening statement to Module 4 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry of 20 December 2024, INQ000474799, on what evidential basis his Department said that the covid-19 vaccine programme had prevented (a) over 230,800 hospitalisations and (b) between 119,500 and 126,800 deaths by September 2021.
The evidential basis refers to page four of the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report: Week 38, published by Public Health England on 23 September 2021. The report is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614c53a28fa8f56113bf6472/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_38.pdf
The report assessed the impact of the vaccination programme on the population by taking into account vaccine coverage, evidence on vaccine effectiveness, and the latest COVID-19 disease surveillance indicators. These figures were, at the time of the report, the latest estimates on the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme on mortality.
Read full answer →Coronavirus: Disease Control
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 o...
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
Read full answer →Covid-19 Inquiry: Expert Evidence
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter of 22 October signed by the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance addressed to the chief nursing officers of the four nations about expert evidence provided to the Covid-19 Inquiry, particularly about the airborne transmission of the virus and other respiratory viruses; and when they expect a response to the letter to be issued.
The Chief Nursing Officer for England has stated that a range of evidence on the issue of routes of transmission of COVID-19 was presented to the COVID-19 Inquiry during their examination of the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems across the United Kingdom.
A response from the UK Chief Nursing Officers to the letter from the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance will be sent shortly.
Read full answer →Lavender Drive Christmas lights
That this House commends the residents of Lavender Drive in Newton Mearns for their annual Christmas lights display, in memory of much loved, husband dad, and valued community member Fred Banning; recognises the work Fred Banning carried out during the pandemic in campaigning for the Scottish and UK Governments to consider prioritising those receiving palliative care for the Covid-19 vaccine, so that the terminally ill could make the most of their final days months; notes that Fred Banning re...