Ongoing
· Chair: Baroness Heather Hallett
· Established June 2022
· Commissioned by Cabinet Office
Public inquiry examining the UK's response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and learning lessons for the future.
More about this inquiry
Public inquiry examining the UK's response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and learning lessons for the future. The inquiry is examining preparedness, decision-making, health and social care, vaccines, and the impact on different communities.
Accepted in part · No statement from Cabinet Office found
Recommended
The UK government and devolved administrations should ensure that the draft affirmative procedure is the standard process for enacting substantial and wide-ranging powers in a civil emergency, such as a pandemic, under primary public health legislation.
Any departure from this procedure should be the exception, with clear criteria and safeguards in place to prevent the bypassing of parliamentary scrutiny. These safeguards should include:
‘sunset clauses’ for regulations made using the made affirmative procedure, specifying a clear expiration date, typically within two months; and
a duty on ministers to report to their respective legislatures every two months on the exercise of emergency powers.
Since then (summary written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended making the draft affirmative procedure standard for emergency public health powers. In March 2026, the UK Government (Cabinet Office) stated that sunset clauses and reporting duties can be useful, but legislative approaches must be decided case by case (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026). The Northern Ireland Executive accepted the recommendation in March 2026, noting that further discussion with Assembly colleagues is required (Northern Ireland Executive response, Mar 2026). The Scottish Government accepted the recommendation in March 2026, agreeing that made affirmative regulations should typically expire within two months (Scottish Government response, Mar 2026). The Welsh Government accepted the recommendation in principle in March 2026, noting that different emergencies require different legislative approaches (Welsh Government response, Mar 2026). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of March 2026 (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026).
Accepted in part · No statement from Cabinet Office found
Recommended
The UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive should develop an online portal for use in future civil emergencies, where members of the public can access information on the legal restrictions that apply in their area and any associated guidance.
This portal should be easily accessible and its content should be written in straightforward and unambiguous language.
Since then (summary written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended creating an online portal detailing local civil emergency restrictions and guidance. In March 2026, the UK Government (Cabinet Office) stated that existing tools such as GOV.UK would be used rather than a single portal, but committed to co-producing shared emergency communication principles with devolved administrations during 2026 (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026). The Northern Ireland Executive stated in March 2026 that its NI Direct website could host emergency guidance if required (Northern Ireland Executive response, Mar 2026). Earlier that month, the Scottish Government and Welsh Government similarly favoured relying on their established national websites rather than a unified portal, while agreeing to develop the joint 2026 principles (Welsh Government response, Mar 2026; Scottish Government response, Mar 2026). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of March 2026 (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026).
Module 3 examining impact on healthcare systems began.
First Every Story Matters record published
The Inquiry published the first record of what it heard through Every Story Matters, on people's experiences of the UK's healthcare systems. The records gather contributors' accounts and are submitted as evidence; they carry no findings or recommendations of their own.
Financial Report to 30 June 2026 (Q1 FY26/27): cumulative expenditure
Source and qualifications
Accounting period: start not stated; to 30 Jun 2026.
Cumulative expenditure to 30 June 2026, from the inquiry's financial report for the first quarter of 2026/27. This is a later figure, not a correction of the £213.708m reported to March 2026. The report gives figures in £000, converted here to pounds; they exclude VAT where applicable and include estimates for work completed but not yet invoiced. They are audited as part of the Cabinet Office accounts, not as a separate final account for the inquiry. The report does not state the start date of the cumulative total; earlier reports include costs from 2021/22. Technology (£9.991m) is evidence management £9.281m, IT £0.316m and telecoms £0.394m. The report's operational and cross-cutting total of £30.514m is shown here as accommodation (£17.169m), support and safeguarding (£2.587m) and technology (£9.991m), with the remaining £0.767m under Other, so nothing is counted twice. Other also includes modules (£9.022m), Every Story Matters, the website and engagement (£15.689m, of which the website is £2.607m) and the report's own other costs (£4.502m). Government departments' own costs of responding to the inquiry, including legal and litigation costs, are not included.
Source-label correction recorded 9 October 2026: in the Q4 FY2025/26 report to 31 March 2026, £15.584m is Every Story Matters, engagement and commemoration, not the Support and safeguarding line. The Support and safeguarding cumulative amount is £2.491m. Other is £55.484m: Modules £8.930m + ESM/engagement £15.584m + Operational £29.528m minus Support/safeguarding £2.491m + source Other £3.933m. This disjoint allocation preserves the reported £213.708m March total. The earlier mapping of ESM as safeguarding is superseded. The prior claim “Most expensive UK inquiry ever” is not substantiated by the reviewed sources and is withdrawn as a current factual claim. The prior notes below are retained unchanged solely as a historical audit record; their retention does not validate any other statement.
Prior notes (unchanged): Hearings concluded 5 March 2026 (end of Module 10). Figures exclude VAT. Most expensive UK inquiry ever. Chair £1.1m; Counsel & Solicitors £67.3m; Section 40 (CP legal) £54.8m; Secretariat £32.5m; Every Story Matters/engagement £15.6m; Modules £8.9m; Operational £29.5m; Other £3.9m.
Annual figures calculated from quarterly reports. Category structure changed over time - accommodation, technology, safeguarding only tracked separately in FY22-23, later absorbed into Operational/Other.
Financial Report to 30 June 2026 (Q1 FY26/27): cumulative expenditure
Source and qualifications
Accounting period: start not stated; to 30 Jun 2026.
Cumulative expenditure to 30 June 2026, from the inquiry's financial report for the first quarter of 2026/27. This is a later figure, not a correction of the £213.708m reported to March 2026. The report gives figures in £000, converted here to pounds; they exclude VAT where applicable and include estimates for work completed but not yet invoiced. They are audited as part of the Cabinet Office accounts, not as a separate final account for the inquiry. The report does not state the start date of the cumulative total; earlier reports include costs from 2021/22. Technology (£9.991m) is evidence management £9.281m, IT £0.316m and telecoms £0.394m. The report's operational and cross-cutting total of £30.514m is shown here as accommodation (£17.169m), support and safeguarding (£2.587m) and technology (£9.991m), with the remaining £0.767m under Other, so nothing is counted twice. Other also includes modules (£9.022m), Every Story Matters, the website and engagement (£15.689m, of which the website is £2.607m) and the report's own other costs (£4.502m). Government departments' own costs of responding to the inquiry, including legal and litigation costs, are not included.
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsYvette Cooper · Labour
Statement: On Thursday 16 April 2026, the Covid-19 Inquiry published its fourth report, which focussed on the role of vaccines and therapeutics throughout the pandemic and put forward 5 recommendations for the Government to consider. Today, the Government published its response and set out the actions …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsBaroness Merron · Labour
Statement: My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Yvette Cooper MP) has made the following statement:On Thursday 19 March 2026, the Covid-19 Inquiry published its third report, which focussed on the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare systems of …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsYvette Cooper · Labour
Statement: On Thursday 19 March 2026, the Covid-19 Inquiry published its third report, which focussed on the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare systems of the UK and put forward ten recommendations for the Government to consider. Today, the Government is publishing its response to …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsBaroness Linforth · Labour
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £1.5 billion Estates Safety Fund funding announced on 9 September will be allocated towards implementing the conclusion in the Module 3 report from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that "in the short term, the use of HEPA …
Answered by Department of Health and Social Care: Estates Safety Fund schemes were selected by the National Health Service working with trusts and integrated care boards to prioritise the most urgent operational and safety risks, including ventilation requirements, and the schemes that will make the greatest difference to patients and staff. No data is held on the proportion of the funding that will be directed towards the use …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsHelen Maguire · Liberal Democrat
Asked: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the safeguards recommended by the Covid Inquiry will be put in place to prevent political connections from being used to secure privileged access to public contracts.
Answered by Cabinet Office: The Government is fully committed to supporting the work of the Covid-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a future pandemic. The Inquiry published its report on Module 5 (Procurement) in July. The Government will consider its findings and recommendations in detail and respond in due course.
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsMike Wood · Conservative
Asked: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 24 September 2025 to Question 71230 on Cabinet Office: Calder Conferences, what the (a) title and (b) purpose were of the (i) The Old Ship Hotel, (ii) Westminster Chapel and (iii) …
Answered by Cabinet Office: The title and purposes of the specified events booked through Calder Conferences Limited are as follows: (i) The Old Ship Hotel on 29 May 2025: “Covid 19 Inquiry - Listening Event”. This was part of the Covid-19 Inquiry’s public listening initiatives which enabled bereaved individuals to share their personal experiences and impacts of the pandemic, to be used as evidence …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of CommonsNick Thomas-Symonds · Labour
Statement: The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The government is fully committed to supporting the work of the COVID-19 Inquiry and to learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the UK is better prepared for a …
Written Ministerial StatementHouse of LordsBaroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent · Labour
Statement: My Right Honourable friend, the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, has today made the following statement:The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the pandemic. The government is fully committed to …