UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: progress update - January 2026

Ministerial foreword

Last January, the Scottish Government published its response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report and recommendations. The response welcomed the Chair’s careful and considered recommendations and set out details of the actions the Scottish Government will take to deliver the changes needed.

The Scottish Government continues to be fully committed to making effective, practical and measurable improvements in pandemic planning and preparedness. Implementing the actions set out in response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s module 1 findings is a commitment in the Programme for Government 2025-26.

As set out in our response of January 2025, and our first progress report (published July 2025), over the past twelve months the Scottish Government has been working, in partnership with local and national stakeholders and working as a four nations group, where appropriate, to implement the accepted recommendations within the timeframes set out in our response.

During Autumn 2025, the Scottish Government participated in the UK-wide pandemic exercise, Exercise Pegasus, to test our national and local preparedness for future pandemics, and a fourth phase of the exercise (recovery) is also planned for 2026. This is the first exercise of its kind in almost a decade and the learnings identified will inform future plans and actions.

In accordance with recommendation 8, the Scottish Government laid ‘The Scottish Government Report on Whole System Civil Emergency Preparedness 2025’ in the Scottish Parliament on 30 September 2025. The report was also published online at gov.scot: Civil emergency whole system preparedness: 2025 report. This is the first report in this series, covering the improvements introduced on civil emergency preparedness and resilience in Scotland, with further reports to follow every three years.

The Scottish Government is considering the recommendations set out in the Inquiry’s Module 2ABC Report (published November 2025), some of which refer to the recommendations set out in the Inquiry’s Module 1 report. We will consider the Module 2ABC recommendations alongside the Module 1 recommendations over the coming months. The Scottish Government intends to publish our Module 2ABC response before the dissolution of Parliament in 2026.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Scotland is as resilient as possible to future risks, and we continue to take the necessary steps to achieve this. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to deliver these recommendations. We will provide our next Module 1 progress update within six months.

Kate Forbes MSP

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic