UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: progress update - July 2025

1. Simplified Structure

Recommendation One – A simplified structure for whole system civil emergency preparedness and response

Chair’s recommendation:

The governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should each simplify and reduce the number of structures with responsibility for preparing for and building resilience to whole-system civil emergencies. The core structures should be:

• A single Cabinet-level or equivalent ministerial committee (including the senior minister responsible for health and social care), responsible for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience for each government, which meets regularly and is chaired by the leader or deputy leader of the relevant government
• A single cross-departmental group of senior officials in each government (which reports regularly to the Cabinet-level or equivalent ministerial committee) to oversee and implement policy on civil emergency preparedness and resilience.

This should be put in place within 12 months of this Report (by July 2025). Within six months of the creation of the group of senior officials, it should complete a review to simplify and reduce the number of structures responsible for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience.

Subsequently, within 24 months of the publication of this Report (by July 2026), the ministerial committee should rationalise and streamline subordinate or supporting groups and committees responsible for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience. Any groups and committees retained or created to support this core structure should have a clear purpose and should report regularly about progress with, and completion of, tasks assigned to them.

Implementation actions and timescales set out in our January 2025 response:

• Cabinet will consider the first of its biannual papers on whole system civil emergencies in spring 2025
• The Future Pandemic Preparedness Ministerial Oversight Group will meet for the first time in early 2025 and will meet on a six-monthly basis thereafter
• The Crisis Preparation Oversight Group (CPOG) will continue to meet on a quarterly basis to discuss cross-government preparedness and structures and will meet again in early 2025

Progress update:

• The Scottish Cabinet considers a broad range of resilience issues and impacts on an ongoing basis in response to specific incidents and issues arising as well as to global developments. The Cabinet paper to consider strategic resilience in Scotland, previously scheduled for spring 2025, is now due to be considered in autumn 2025. It will provide an update on progress on significant programmes of work. The paper will also set out the approach undertaken to minimise the occurrence of a risk and mitigate its impact should it occur, and to respond to a crisis.
• The Future Pandemic Preparedness Ministerial Oversight Group chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs has met twice in the last six months since its establishment. The first time on 30 January 2025 and again on 4 June 2025. The next regular meeting is due to take place in December 2025.
• The Crisis Preparation Oversight Group, the group of senior officials within the Scottish Government who lead and coordinate work on preparedness for and resilience to a wide range of civil emergencies, have continued to meet.