The right questions?

How the pandemic inquiry will be conducted

The Covid-19 Inquiry will hear evidence about the pandemic response broken up into topic areas, or “modules”, beginning in June. So far, the first three modules have been announced. There is no definitive total for how many modules there will be, but 11 subject areas have been identified. The hearings will cover the pandemic response in all four parts of the UK.

Module 1: June 13 to July 21, 2023. Resilience and preparedness.

Will consider: Whether adequate plans were in place for dealing with a pandemic, including the

Exercise Cygnus three-day simulation carried out in 2016. It will also touch on preparedness for civil emergencies as a whole, including resourcing and risk management.

Module 2: Date TBC. Core UK decision-making and political governance. Will consider: The initial response to the pandemic, political and administrative governance, and decision-making for the UK, including decisions over lockdowns and shielding. Hearings will be held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to consider the response of each nation. It will not cover school closures, testing, furlough or vaccines, each of which will have their own module.

Module 3: Date TBC. Impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems in the four nations of the UK.

Will consider: The impact that the pandemic had on healthcare systems, patients and healthcare workers, including NHS backlogs that built up as a result of lockdowns and long-covid diagnosis and support.

Further modules will be announced in due course. The inquiry will cover issues including: vaccines, therapeutics and anti-viral treatment; the care sector; government procurement and PPE; testing and tracing; the Government’s business and financial responses; health inequalities and the impact of Covid; education, children and young people; other public services, including front-line delivery by key workers.