Consideration of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 Report

Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee scrutiny of the Welsh Government’s response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee is currently considering Module 1 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, which focused on the resilience and preparedness of the four nations of the United Kingdom. Our work will examine the extent to which the Welsh Government has responded to the findings and recommendations of Module 1, the adequacy of the changes made to its approach to civil contingencies planning, and its preparedness for future emergencies.

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee held oral evidence sessions with key stakeholders at its meetings on 12 November 2025, 27 November 2025 and 10 December 2025.

The Committee concluded the evidence gathering process by hearing from the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales at its meeting on 15 January 2026.

The Committee will report before the dissolution of this Senedd on 8 April 2026.

Background

On 6 June 2025 the Business Committee wrote to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee asking whether the Committee had the capacity to lead scrutiny of the gaps identified by the Wales Covid-19 Special Purpose Covid Committee (Special Purpose Committee) in relation to Module 1 of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The Business Committee also asked if the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee anticipated it would have the capacity to lead scrutiny of the Module 2 report of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, including subsection 2B as it relates to Wales.

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee agreed to undertake this work on the basis that its capacity to do so would be constrained given its full programme of work and the time left remaining in this Senedd term.

Wales COVID-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee

The Special Purpose Committee was established on 16 May 2023. The Committee’s remit was to:

• consider the reports at each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and in the context of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s terms of reference and timetable, propose to the Senedd by motion, any gaps identified 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.

• Subject to Senedd approval, undertake a review into those areas identified for further examination.

• Publish reports and make recommendations accordingly.

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

On 14 October 2024, the Special Purpose Committee agreed its approach to scrutinising and identifying any gaps, as prescribed within its remit, in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 Report. As part of an evidence gathering exercise, the Committee:

• commissioned a gap analysis report from academics with expertise in civil contingencies at Nottingham Trent University;
  
  
• issued a public consultation; and
  
  
• held a stakeholder engagement event on 2 December 2024. A Summary Document of the discussion was published following the event.

On 26 March 2025, the Committee published it's report on the gaps identified 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: UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1.

On Wednesday 16 July 2025, a plenary debate was held on the Committee’s report. The Senedd noted the gaps identified by the Special Purpose Committee and agreed by motion to:

a.               review the most effective resilience and preparedness model for Wales;

b.              effectively learn from Local Resilience Forums and from those with a particular interest in decision-making power in civil contingencies in Wales on how roles and responsibilities can be better clarified and accountability improved;

c.               review the ways data access and sharing occurred in Wales both vertically and horizontally during emergencies;

d.              consider the effectiveness of the clarity, timeliness, coordination, and integration of communication of policy and guidance relating to the public messaging about the pandemic and how this can be improved in the future.

e.               review the need to better clarify the interplay of civil contingencies across borders and where responsibilities are shared, unclear or complex;

f.                 review how leading resilience practices and processes can be shared across relevant organisations in Wales;

g.               review how societal inequalities in a Welsh context could be better incorporated into the preparedness and resilience processes and structures;

h.               review the benefits of a Wales-specific approach that incorporates learning from communities and resilience experts, to strengthen Wales’s resilience systems and structures;

i.                 consider the most effective way for Wales to approach the implementation of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 report recommendations, including:

i.                 whether there are sufficient resources to implement recommendations such as emergency and pandemic response exercises;

ii.               how implementation of the recommendations will be effectively monitored in Wales.

Following the dissolution of the Special Purpose Committee on 8 October 2025, the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee agreed that we would take forward the Special Purpose Committee’s work on Module 1. The gaps identified by the Special Purpose Committee outlined above have informed the scope of this work.