Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell-Buck Excerpts

Thursday 22nd June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Alex Burghart]

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer that I gave a few moments ago.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

5. What recent steps his Department has taken to co-operate with the UK covid-19 inquiry.

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Jeremy Quin)]

We remain committed to providing all relevant material to the inquiry, and will continue to comply with requests so that we can learn the lessons from the pandemic. To date, the Cabinet Office alone has submitted 55,000 documents to the inquiry.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

I thank the Minister for that answer, but far from co-operating the Cabinet Office is taking the inquiry to court to block access to information, and the Government are set to spend in excess of £50 million of taxpayers’ money on solicitors to protect current and former Ministers. What do they have to hide?

[Jeremy Quin]

The Government are committed to getting to the truth on covid. There will be a lot of lessons to learn. We are following a process, and it is incredibly important for the country and the future Governments of the UK that we learn the lessons. We have nothing to hide from the inquiry, but there is one specific technical difference between us and the inquiry and it is right that those things are sorted out in the law courts, as is normal in such circumstances. We want to provide all relevant material to the covid inquiry; we continue to do so and we support its work.