The Senedd is set to debate a report this afternoon on how prepared Wales was for the Covid-19 pandemic and what gaps remain in understanding the decisions and systems that shaped the country’s response.
Published in March 2025 by the Senedd’s Special Purpose Committee on the Covid-19 Inquiry, the report focused on Module 1 – resilience and preparedness.
The Special Purpose Committee was established to ensure the experiences and perspectives of people in Wales were adequately reflected in the UK-wide Covid Inquiry.
The report assessed the UK Covid Inquiry’s Module 1 findings on pandemic preparedness across the UK and identified nine specific “gaps” in scrutiny it argued are essential to understanding Wales’ response and where further investigation is needed.
Although the Welsh Government issued a written response and six month update earlier this week, it did not fully address the concerns raised by the Special Purpose Committee.
Key findings
The Committee’s findings were based on a range of evidence, used to assess how well Wales was represented in that Module. It drew on a gap analysis carried out by civil contingency experts at Nottingham Trent University, feedback from stakeholders, and a detailed response from the Welsh Government.
The report concluded that there were nine areas where further scrutiny in a Welsh context is still required:
- Resilience models: A review of whether Wales has the right structures in place for emergency preparedness.
- Local Resilience Forums: A closer look at how the four LRFs in Wales worked during the pandemic, and whether coordination was effective.
- Local knowledge: Better use of local context and expertise in national planning.
- Data sharing: How data was shared within and between organisations, and between Welsh and UK governments.
- Accountability: A clearer look at Welsh Government decision-making structures and how transparent they were.
- Inequalities: How issues of inequality factored into preparedness and resilience planning.
- Communication: Whether public health messages were clear, coordinated, and well-integrated across levels of government.
- Cross-border issues: How responsibilities between Welsh and UK authorities were defined and communicated.
- Implementation of UK Inquiry recommendations: Ensuring Wales can effectively act on the UK Inquiry’s findings.
What has happened since?
In its July 2025 update, the Welsh Government acknowledged the Committee’s report and reiterated its view that the UK Inquiry remains the best vehicle for scrutinising Wales’ pandemic response. It pointed to some internal reviews and improvements already underway.
However it did not commit to any new mechanisms for addressing the identified gaps or taking forward the Special Purpose Committee's work in a structured way.
At the same time, political support for the Special Purpose Committee — particularly among Conservative Members of the Senedd, has collapsed. Although the Senedd has expressed a general commitment to continue scrutiny, the Committee has effectively ceased to exist.
Campaigners still calling for full Welsh inquiry
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, a campaign group representing those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, continue to press for a Wales-specific statutory public inquiry — something the Welsh Government has resisted.
In October, the group outlined various concerns, including whether a Senedd Committee could provide the depth of scrutiny they believe is needed.
While Senedd committees can conduct investigations and question witnesses, they do not have the same legal authority, independence, or scope as a public inquiry.
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru argue that, without a Wales-led inquiry, bereaved families are being denied a full investigation.
What happens next?
That remains unclear. This afternoon’s Senedd debate could be crucial in deciding whether the report becomes the foundation for further scrutiny.
If not, there is a risk that questions raised by the Special Purpose Committee – particularly about decision-making, transparency, inequalities, and local preparedness – remain unanswered.
Article by Sarah Hatherley, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament.
