Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Exercise Cygnus that took place in 2016, what the key lessons learned from that exercise were for the preparedness of North West England to respond to a pandemic.

The Government has been extremely proactive in implementing lessons learnt around pandemic preparedness, including from Exercise Cygnus, to ensure that the United Kingdom remains well-prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. This includes being ready with legislative proposals and improving health sector plans to flex and expand systems beyond normal capacity levels.

The lessons learned from Exercise Cygnus continue to be considered by the Government and have been shared with a range of stakeholders, including local emergency planners, in reviewing response plans. Local planners are responsible for identifying and implementing specific lessons which most affect their areas (such as the North West).