8 November 2024

Dear colleague

Public Consultation: Consideration of UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 - Resilience and Preparedness of the United Kingdom

I am writing to seek your views on matters relating to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 Report.

On 18 July 2024 the UK Covid-19 Inquiry published its Module 1 Report - The resilience and preparedness of the United Kingdom, which made 10 recommendations to the UK Government and devolved administrations.

The remit of the Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee (the Committee) is to consider the reports at each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and to identify any gaps in the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic that should be subject to further examination.

The Module 1 report considered whether the pandemic was properly planned for and whether the UK was ready for that eventuality. This Module touched on the whole system of civil emergencies including resourcing, risk management and pandemic readiness. It scrutinised government decision-making relating to planning and produced a set of recommendations.

We are therefore seeking your views on any ‘gaps’ within the Module 1 Report and on the changes Welsh Government has made to its approach to civil contingencies planning and preparedness for a future pandemic. Our work on Module 1 is specifically in relation to the resilience and preparedness of the UK and we would therefore ask that your response addresses the specific points below. There will be an opportunity to comment on the other Modules of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in due course.

To help us with this work, we welcome your views on the following:

• Whether the recommendations in the Module 1 report capture the priority actions needed to improve the resilience and preparedness of Wales as part of the UK. Is there sufficient detail and are there any clear gaps requiring the Committee to take further evidence itself.
• The resources that will be needed in order to deliver the recommendations, within the timeframes set out in the report.
• How progress should be monitored and reported. The need for transparency and clear lines of accountability for delivery of the recommendations.

Please also provide further comments or views on any other matters that you believe to be relevant to this issue.

The deadline for submissions is 16:00 on 3 January 2024. Please see the annex for information on how to respond.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

  

Joyce Watson MS and Tom Gifford MS
Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee Co-Chairs

Croesewir gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu Saesneg.

We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English.

 

 

 

Annex - How to respond

The Senedd has two official languages, Welsh and English. In line with the Senedd’s Official Languages Scheme, the Committee requests that documents or written responses to consultations intended for publication or use in Senedd proceedings are submitted bilingually. When documents or written responses are not submitted bilingually, we will publish in the language submitted, stating that it has been received in that language only.

We expect other organisations to implement their own standards or schemes and to comply with their statutory obligations

We would like you to submit your views by completing this online form. However should you wish to provide a fully written response to the consultation, submissions should be no longer than five sides of A4, with numbered paragraphs, and should focus on matters set out above.

If you wish to submit evidence, please submit a single document (preferably as a Word document) with any tables, spreadsheets and annexes incorporated into the paper of your submission to SeneddCovid@Senedd.Wales. Further guidance on preparing written evidence can be found on the Senedd website.

The deadline for submissions is 16:00 on 3 January 2025.

Disclosure of Information

Before submitting information to the Committee, please ensure that you have considered the Senedd’s policy on disclosure of information. Alternatively, a hard copy of this policy can be requested by contacting the Clerk, Fay Bowen (0300 200 6565) or SeneddCovid@Senedd.Wales.