House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Report on Exercise on Pandemic preparedness
20 October 2020 · Department of Health and Social Care
Proposed by Matt Hancock
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The report from Exercise Cygnus, a 2016 national exercise to assess pandemic preparedness, is being published.
- Copies of the report will be deposited in the libraries of both Houses and made available on gov.uk.
- The government has accepted all 22 recommendations and acted on them to improve pandemic response plans.
Issue summary
The statement is about publishing the report from Exercise Cygnus, a national exercise conducted in 2016 to assess the UK's preparedness for a serious flu pandemic.
Action requested
I will deposit copies of the report in the libraries of both Houses and it will be available on gov.uk. The government has accepted all 22 recommendations from the report and has acted on them to improve pandemic response plans, including developing the Pandemic Influenza Bill that later became part of the Coronavirus Act 2020.
Key facts
- Exercise Cygnus took place in October 2016.
- The exercise involved over 950 participants from various government departments and public services across the UK.
- Public Health England produced an independent report with 22 recommendations.
- The Department of Health and Social Care has acted on all recommendations to improve pandemic response plans.