Covid-19 Inquiry Response Costs
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The Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Nick Thomas-Symonds)
The covid-19 pandemic impacted each and every person in the UK. The work of the UK covid-19 inquiry is crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the covid-19 pandemic. There are evidently lessons to be learnt from the pandemic, and the Government are committed to closely considering the covid-19 inquiry’s findings and recommendations, which will play a key role in informing the Government’s planning and preparations for the future.
The Government recognise the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future. The inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile, looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.
The independent UK covid-19 inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. The chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the inquiry’s work, and she has been clear as to her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I would like to update the House on the costs to the UK Government associated with responding to the UK covid-19 inquiry.
Figures provided are based upon a selection of the most relevant Departments and are not based on a complete set of departmental figures and are not precise for accounting purposes. Ensuring a comprehensive and timely response to the inquiry requires significant input from a number of key Departments, including, but not limited to, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Home Office and HM Treasury, many of which are supported by the Government Legal Department. While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the inquiry alone.
It should be noted that alongside full time resource within Departments, inquiry response teams draw on expertise from across their organisations. The staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses and associated policy development work on the UK covid inquiry are not included in the costs below.
Breakdown of staff and costs
The Government’s response to the UK covid-19 inquiry is led by inquiry response units across Departments. These associated staff costs for Q1 2025-26 are below.
Q1 number of UK covid-19 inquiry response unit staff: 248 full-time equivalents
Q1 cost of UK covid-19 inquiry response unit staff: £5,004,000 (including contingent labour costs)
Total inquiry response unit legal costs
Inquiry response units across Government Departments are supported by the Government Legal Department, co-partnering firms of solicitors, and legal counsel. These associated legal costs (excluding internal departmental advisory legal costs) for Q1 2025-26 are below.
Q1 legal costs: £5,194,000
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Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)
Many children who have been adopted or are in kinship care have faced difficulties in their early life which mean they cannot live with their birth parents. These experiences place them at greater risk of serious mental health challenges compared to their peers. I am clear that the Government have a responsibility to those children and I am determined that we meet it.
To support these vulnerable children and their families, the adoption and special guardianship support fund provides funding to local authorities and regional adoption agencies for therapeutic services. This funding has so far helped over 54,000 children access the support they need, strengthened family relationships, and helped to prevent family breakdown.
Family security is a key priority for this Government in their mission to break down barriers to opportunity.
Therefore, I am pleased to confirm that applications to the ASGSF that run into the next financial year (2026-27) can now be made, as part of a further continuation of the scheme next financial year, of which full details will be set out shortly.
I hope today’s announcement offers families the clarity and reassurance they need to plan for their children’s ongoing support. I also trust it provides sector representatives with some reassurance to enable them to continue delivering services.
After a decade of support, we are also looking to review the delivery of the ASGSF to ensure we continue in the most effective and sustainable way. The need for support is clear, which is why we are determined to ensure that effective services are reaching children and families as efficiently as possible. Looking ahead, in the new year, the Department for Education will launch a public engagement process to better understand how well the fund is working, what the evidence tells us or what further evidence is required, and importantly what is working well for families and why.
My officials and I look forward to working collaboratively with children, families, and sector representatives placing the needs and voices of children at the heart of everything we do.
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Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: UK Delegation
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The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty)
The right hon. Lord Jones of Penybont has been appointed as a full member of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in place of my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards).
The right hon. Baroness Coffey has been appointed as a substitute member of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in place of Baroness Helic.
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Immigration Rules Changes
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Seema Malhotra)
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is today laying before the House a statement of changes in immigration rules.
The new rules provide for a temporary suspension of new applications for refugee family reunion, and for refugees to be covered in the meantime by the main family rules that apply for other UK residents and British citizens, with plans for new reformed arrangements to be put in place at a later date.
“Appendix Family Reunion”: suspension of new applications
The current rules for family reunion for refugees were designed many years ago to help families separated by war, conflict and persecution, but the way they are being used now has changed. Currently there are limited conditions on family reunion for refugee sponsors unlike those in place if the sponsor is a British citizen or settled in the UK. A refugee sponsor does not have to prove they can financially support or accommodate their family.
Before the pandemic, refugees who applied to bring family to the UK typically did so more than one or two years after they were granted protection—long enough for them to get jobs, find suitable housing and be able to provide their family with some support.
However, in recent years more of these applications are received shortly after they obtain protection. As a consequence, refugee families who arrive are more likely to seek homelessness assistance, which is adding unsustainable pressures on local authorities and associated public services.
We continue to believe that families staying together is important, but change is needed. The immigration White Paper sets out reforms to legal migration, so that we can restore order, control and fairness to the system, bring down net migration and promote economic growth.
In the immigration White Paper, we said that we will set out a new family policy before the end of this year, which will cover all UK residents including those who are British, settled, on work routes or those with protection status seeking to bring family members to the UK.
Noting the immediate pressures that result from family reunion particularly on public services and local authorities, we are introducing a temporary pause to “Appendix Family Reunion (Sponsors with Protection)”, as we undertake a full review and reform of the current family rules to ensure we have a fair and properly balanced system.
Changes to “Appendix FM” to allow applications from a partner and child of a person with protection status
“Appendix FM: family members” has been amended to allow applications from a partner and dependent child of a person with protection status in the UK while this pause is in place. In line with other applications under “Appendix FM”, a person will need to pay the fee—or obtain a fee waiver—and meet the core requirements of the route.
These changes to the immigration rules are being laid on 4 September 2025 and will come into effect at 15:00 on 4 September 2025.
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Windsor Framework: Independent Review
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The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Hilary Benn)
Following the outcome of the democratic consent vote which was held in the Assembly in December 2024, and in line with schedule 6A to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, I commissioned the right hon. Lord Murphy of Torfaen to lead the independent review of the Windsor framework on 9 January 2025.
I can confirm that Lord Murphy provided me with a report of his conclusions on 9 July 2025, within the six month reporting period, and I am thankful for his diligent work on this matter. As per schedule 6A, I have today laid a copy of the report in Parliament, and transmitted a copy to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
I understand that Members of both Houses and the Assembly contributed towards the independent review. I welcome their engagement on the issues and will take the time to carefully consider the recommendations made and the issues raised in the report.
For its part, the Government remain fully committed to securing the broadest possible confidence of communities in Northern Ireland in the trading arrangements that apply. Since the review was commissioned, we have continued working in this endeavour. This includes through the new arrangements to secure the long-term supply of human medicines, which we completed in January; the delivery of arrangements to support the smooth movement of freight and parcels in May; measures to safeguard the supply of veterinary medicines, which we announced in June; and the launch that same month of a consultation on aligning rules on the labelling and packaging of chemicals across the UK, following concerns raised by Assembly Members in December 2024.
Following the UK/EU summit in May, the Government announced a new partnership with the EU. The new agreement we are taking forward on agrifood with the EU will be of considerable benefit to businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland, and further shows the capacity of our approach to deliver for them and to further strengthen the UK internal market.
In line with schedule 6A, I will publish a written response to the recommendations of the report within six months and bring them to the Joint Committee. I will update this House and provide a copy of the Government response when that is ready.
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Intelligence and Security Committee Report on Iran: Government Response
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The Prime Minister (Keir Starmer)
On 10 July 2025, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament published its report entitled “Iran”. I thank the Committee for the comprehensive report and the extensive work behind it.
Today, the Government are publishing their response to this report. This Government will take action wherever necessary to protect national security and the UK’s interests.
Together with our international partners, this Government are committed to addressing the full spectrum of the Iranian threat. We are clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon; that its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine must end; and that its destabilising influence across the region will be challenged. We have imposed further sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran—bringing the total to 450—to disrupt its malign activities and hold the regime to account. The UK, alongside France and Germany, has also triggered the “snapback” mechanism at the UN Security Council to reimpose proliferation-related sanctions and restrictions on Iran, in response to Iran’s serious nuclear escalation.
We are acting decisively to disrupt threats posed by Iran here in the UK. This includes placing Iran on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme to bolster our oversight of Iran’s activities. And following an independent review, we are working to develop a new state threats proscription-style tool, which will enable us to designate state-linked organisations that seek to do us harm.
I would also like to thank the intelligence and security agencies for their vital and relentless work to counter threats posed by states such as Iran. We will continue to prioritise the safety and security of UK citizens and interests, working swiftly and in partnership to confront all aspects of Iran’s hostile actions.
Copies of the Government response have been laid before both Houses.
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