Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has undertaken since 2010 of the pandemic planning exercises commissioned between 2005 and 2010.
Lessons identified by preparedness exercises undertaken prior to 2009 informed the response to the 2009 H1N1 (“Swine Flu”) pandemic.
An independent review into the United Kingdom’s strategic response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic was subsequently published. The recommendations of this review and expert advice were reflected in The UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011.
We routinely test our pandemic plans. Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise, has ensured that the UK remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.