Advisory Group Terms of Appointment
COVID-19 Inquiry · Module 2: Core Decision-Making · Issued 20 November 2025 · Addressed to: Government Office for Science
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Government Office for Science (GO-Science), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) should each develop standard terms of appointment for all participants in scientific advisory groups. These terms should include: clarity around the nature of an individual's role and the extent of their responsibility, as well as the likely time commitment; payment where their time commitment means that they have to spend time away from their substantive role; access to support services; and access to advice on personal and online security, with procedures for escalating specific concerns.
COVID-19 Inquiry, Module 2: Core Decision-Making · 20 Nov 2025 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- GO-Science committed to reviewing and updating terms, conditions and support for participants by 2027.
- The response states GO-Science will develop guidance on compensation for participants whose time commitment results in significant absence from substantive roles.
- The 2027 deadline has not yet passed; no updated terms have been published.
Sources
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government — initial response
No formal response published by this government.
Scottish Government · 20 Nov 2025
●Welsh Government — follow-up
No formal response published by this government.
Welsh Government · 20 Nov 2025
●Northern Ireland Executive — follow-up
No formal response published by this government.
Northern Ireland Executive · 20 Nov 2025
●UK Government — follow-up
GO-Science already provides support to SAGE participants before, during and after any SAGE activation. All SAGE participants receive a guidance document outlining their roles, responsibilities and the support available to them when they are invited to join the SAGE register of experts or to participate in a SAGE meeting. This includes details of the SAGE wellbeing services and direction on how to access them. It also sets out protocols and key principles for media engagement and detailed advice on personal and online security.
GO-Science will review and update the terms, conditions and support for participants by 2027 to ensure they have access to clear, comprehensive and up-to-date information in all the areas listed in the recommendation. As part of this, GO-Science will also develop guidance on when compensation may be applicable for universities, other institutions and private companies whose staff contribute extensively to SAGE during extended activations, resulting in significant time away from their substantive roles. Any compensation mechanism must be transparent and designed to uphold the integrity and independence of SAGE.
UK Government · 20 Nov 2025 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
GO-Science already provides support to SAGE participants before, during and after any SAGE activation. All SAGE participants receive a guidance document outlining their roles, responsibilities and the support available to them when they are invited to join the SAGE register of experts or to participate in a SAGE meeting. This includes details of the SAGE wellbeing services and direction on how to access them. It also sets out protocols and key principles for media engagement and detailed advice on personal and online security.
GO-Science will review and update the terms, conditions and support for participants by 2027 to ensure they have access to clear, comprehensive and up-to-date information in all the areas listed in the recommendation. As part of this, GO-Science will also develop guidance on when compensation may be applicable for universities, other institutions and private companies whose staff contribute extensively to SAGE during extended activations, resulting in significant time away from their substantive roles. Any compensation mechanism must be transparent and designed to uphold the integrity and independence of SAGE.
UK Government · 25 Mar 2026 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 20 Nov 2025 Status: Pending. No government response yet received. Module 2 report published 20 November 2025. Source →
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.