UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 2 report: Scottish Government response

Ministerial Foreword

The Scottish Government welcomed the publication of the UK Covid 19 Inquiry’s Module 2 report on 20 November 2025, which examined core decision-making and political governance across the United Kingdom during the Covid 19 pandemic. I would like to thank the Chair and the Inquiry team for their rigorous work and for the careful consideration they have given to this challenging period in our recent history. Their efforts, and the contributions of so many people who revisited difficult and often traumatic experiences to support the Inquiry, continue to be deeply appreciated.

This publication sets out the Scottish Government’s response to the Module 2 findings and recommendations. It builds upon, and is closely aligned with, the actions we have already taken in response to the Inquiry’s Module 1 report on pandemic preparedness. Work on improving pre-pandemic preparedness is ongoing, and the steps outlined in this response form the next phase of our commitment to continuous improvement in resilience, preparedness, and governance across Scotland.

Above all, our thoughts remain with the many families who lost loved ones during the pandemic. Their grief and enduring resilience continue to guide the Scottish Government’s approach. We remain fully committed to listening, learning, and acting.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to Covid Inquiry Response Engagement Group (CIREG) and to the wide range of partners and stakeholders whose expertise and reflections have shaped our response. Their insight has been invaluable in ensuring our approach is evidence based, collaborative, and informed by those who worked tirelessly across the public, voluntary and community sectors during the pandemic.

The Module 2 report also underlines the essential role of accountability and scrutiny in responding to civil emergencies. The UK and Scottish Covid-19 Inquiries play a vital role in examining decisions made during the pandemic and in holding decision-makers, including the Scottish Government, to account. We fully recognise and welcome this scrutiny. It is fundamental to ensuring lessons are not only identified, but embedded through clearer processes, more transparent decision-making, and meaningful improvements across government. To do this our response to the pandemic will follow open government principles of transparency, participation, and accountability as part of Scotland's open government actions to maintain trust and increase proactive transparency

The Scottish Government is committed to acting on the findings of the Module 2 report, working closely with our national and local partners to strengthen coordination and improve Scotland’s overall resilience. As demonstrated throughout the pandemic, the expertise and dedication of responders across Scotland remain fundamental to our collective resilience.

We also continue to engage fully with the independent Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. Its findings, once published, will sit alongside those of the UK Inquiry in shaping our ongoing programme of reform and improvement.

Scotland faces a wide range of future challenges, from public health threats to the impacts of our changing climate. Strengthening our systems, reducing vulnerability, and addressing the inequalities the pandemic both exposed and intensified, remain central to building a more resilient nation. The Scottish Government remains committed to taking forward the actions set out in this response, and to doing so in a way that is open, transparent, and informed by the diverse voices and experiences of people across Scotland.

Our full response to each recommendation, including the actions we will take, is outlined in the chapters that follow.

Kate Forbes MSP Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic