COVID-M1.8 Response Accepted in Part AI-assessed

Triennial Parliamentary Resilience Reports

Recommendation

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.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
An Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience was delivered in July 2025, alongside the publication of the Biological Security Strategy implementation report. The government has committed to continuing annual reporting to its respective legislatures on whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience (Official government response, 16 Jan 2025; Implementation update, 8 Jul 2025).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 18 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted in Part
No Published Response Scottish Government Initial Response
18 Jul 2024

No formal response published by this government.

No Published Response Welsh Government Follow-up
18 Jul 2024

No formal response published by this government.

No Published Response Northern Ireland Executive Follow-up
18 Jul 2024

No formal response published by this government.

Accepted in Part UK Government Follow-up
16 Jan 2025

The government agrees with the importance of transparency and ensuring that the wider public sector, private sector and the general public have an understanding of not only the risks that the UK faces but also the steps that are being taken to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, it will provide information on the steps that they can take to ensure their own preparedness.

There are commonly used arrangements for Parliamentary scrutiny of the government’s work across the resilience cycle, including on whole system-risks.

To increase transparency and improve public accountability on risk and resilience, the Resilience Framework, published in 2022, introduced an Annual Statement to Parliament on civil contingency risk and resilience. The inaugural statement was delivered by the then Deputy Prime Minister in December 2023. It was accompanied by an Implementation Update, which set out a public-facing summary of the risk landscape faced by the UK, alongside a progress update covering the government’s work on resilience, including on the implementation of the Resilience Framework in the first year following publication.

The 2023, UK Biological Security Strategy also committed the lead minister to report annually to Parliament on its rigorous implementation. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made his first report to Parliament in October 2024.

The Annual Statement to Parliament will be maintained and the resilience review will further explore how to deliver this in the most appropriate format. The government will work with the devolved governments to seek to coordinate the delivery of the statement across the legislatures of each nation as well as in Westminster.

Read Full Response
Accepted in Part UK Government Follow-up
08 Jul 2025

[CLOSED] Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience delivered July 2025. Biological Security Strategy implementation report published July 2025. Annual reporting to continue.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
15 Oct 2025

Status: In Progress. The government agrees with the importance of transparency and ensuring that the wider public sector, private sector and the general public have an understanding of not only the risks that the UK faces but also the steps that are being taken to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, it will provide information on the steps that they can take to ensure their own preparedness. There are commonly used arrangements for Parliamentary scrutiny of the government’s work across the resilience cycle, includin

UK Government progress_report
08 Jul 2025

Implementation update (8 Jul 2025): [CLOSED] Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience delivered July 2025. Biological Security Strategy implementation report published July 2025. Annual reporting to continue.

Official Report
16 Jan 2025

The government agrees with the importance of transparency and ensuring that the wider public sector, private sector and the general public have an understanding of not only the risks that the UK faces but also the steps that are being taken to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, it will provide information on the steps that they can take to ensure their own preparedness. There are commonly used arrangements for Parliamentary scrutiny of the government’s work across the resilience cycle, including on whole system-risks. To increase transparency and improve public accountability on risk and resilience, the Resilience Framework, published in 2022, introduced an Annual Statement to Parliament on civil contingency risk and resilience. The inaugural statement was delivered by the then Deputy Prime Minister in December 2023. It was accompanied by an Implementation Update, which set out a public-facing summary of the risk landscape faced by the UK, alongside a progress update covering the government’s work on resilience, including on the implementation of the Resilience Framework in the first year following publication. The 2023, UK Biological Security Strategy also committed the lead minister to report annually to Parliament on its rigorous implementation. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made his first report to Parliament in October 2024. The Annual Statement to Parliament will be maintained and the resilience review will further explore how to deliver this in the most appropriate format. The government will work with the devolved governments to seek to coordinate the delivery of the statement across the legislatures of each nation as well as in Westminster.

Source
Report Module 1: Resilience and Preparedness 18 Jul 2024
Responsible Bodies
Cabinet Office Primary
Recommendation age 1.7 yrs
Last formal update 15 Oct 2025