Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether officials in (a) his Department, and (b) the wider Civil Service have been advised not to destroy covid-19-related records that could be considered relevant in the event of a potential public inquiry.

Advice and guidance on record keeping in the context of Covid-19 was first issued to officials in the Cabinet Office on 25 March. Staff were asked to “ensure that the record of what we do at this time, which is of vital importance to our nation, is preserved for future inquiries, and valuable knowledge is preserved.” Each department is responsible for its own record keeping processes.