Written questions by Baxter.

If his Department will publish (a) a timeline for the completion of the implementation of UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 recommendations and (b) target dates for actions in progress.

The Government responded in full to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on 16 January 2025 and committed to providing regular updates on implementation of the commitments made in the response. The most recent update was published on 8 July, alongside a suite of key publications which demonstrate this government’s determination to build the UK’s resilience and pandemic preparedness for the future.

Which catastrophic risk boards are co-chaired by his Department; what the remit is for each board; which other Government departments are involved; and how frequently they meet.

As outlined in the Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (the Amber Book), the Cabinet Office have taken a stronger and more directive role in planning for catastrophic risks. The Cabinet Office co-sponsors the planning phase of catastrophic risks with the Lead Government Department (LGD), including through co-chairing of catastrophic risk boards. The Cabinet Office works with LGDs to agree which boards it would be appropriate to co-chair on a case by case basis. The Cabinet Office and LGDs work closely with representatives from the other relevant departments, agencies and, where appropriate, the Devolved Governments in preparing for catastrophic risks.

What steps he plans to take to ensure that UK Resilience Academy expert panels on whole-system risks are available for parliamentary scrutiny; and how the Government plans to (a) respond to and (b) implement as necessary their recommendations.

The Cabinet Office will instruct the UK Resilience Academy to convene independently-chaired panels dedicated to reviewing specific whole-system risks. The panels will draw on leading independent experts from across sectors outside government to ensure impartial and credible assurance. Terms of Reference will underpin the panels, and a pilot study will test and refine this approach. The Government's updates on its actions to improve resilience, including in response to the findings of the independent expert panels, will be set out in the Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience.

How the Government plans to (a) select and (b) appoint people to UK Resilience Academy independent panels on risk preparedness; what steps he plans to take to ensure that those panels can operate independently; and when he expects their findings to be published.

The Cabinet Office will instruct the UK Resilience Academy to convene independently-chaired panels dedicated to reviewing specific whole-system risks. The panels will draw on leading independent experts from across sectors outside government to ensure impartial and credible assurance. Terms of Reference will underpin the panels, and a pilot study will test and refine this approach. The Government's updates on its actions to improve resilience, including in response to the findings of the independent expert panels, will be set out in the Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience.

Whether his Department plans to publish central operational response plans developed for each identified potential catastrophic risk; and whether he plans to make (a) plans and (b) summaries available to Parliament.

The Government published the updated Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (the Amber Book) in April 2025 which codifies the leadership role the Cabinet Office plays for responding to catastrophic risks. The Cabinet Office also co-sponsors the planning phase of catastrophic risks with the Lead Government Department which owns the risk. Part of this planning is to develop the concept of operations for each catastrophic risk. These plans are internal and operational in nature, and there is currently no intent to publish these documents.