Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 July 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the accepted recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report, which was published on 18 July 2024.
The Scottish Government welcomed the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on pre-pandemic preparedness and resilience on 18 July 2024. The Scottish Government published an initial response on 16 January 2025, which set out the actions and steps being taken to address the Inquiry’s recommendations.
Today, the Scottish Government has published the third progress report, which shows six of the Inquiry’s recommendations have been delivered and closed as a result. Over the past six months the Scottish Government has continued to make significant, measurable improvements in Scotland’s pandemic planning and preparedness.
The Scottish Government has completed its review of risk assessment processes and is now developing the next iteration of the Scottish Risk Assessment. This will bring together all risks relevant to Scotland in a single document. To support this work, the Scottish Government has established a Scottish Risk Assessment Group to ensure a robust, expert-led approach, with a strong focus on vulnerability.
A Memorandum of Understanding is now in place to enable rapid sharing of data and analysis across the four nations in preparation for, or during, any future crisis. After taking part in the UK Government’s pilot process for independent review of whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience, the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government as it progresses with the Catastrophic Risks Assurance Programme.
The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Scotland is as resilient as possible to future risks, and will continue to take the necessary steps to achieve this. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to deliver these recommendations.
A copy of the progress report is available online at: UK Covid-19 Inquiry - Module 1 report: progress update - July 2026
Our next progress update will be a combined report covering Module 1 and Module 2ABC, to be published before the end of November 2026.