Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Katrina Murray and Dan Jarvis

Thursday 23rd October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sadik Al-Hassan (North Somerset) (Lab)]

17. What progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues to improve cross-Government co-ordination on preparedness for a future pandemic.

[The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Dan Jarvis)]

As the response to module 1 of the covid-19 inquiry made clear, the Cabinet Office is playing a greater role in preparedness for cross-cutting catastrophic risks. Our preparedness for future pandemics has been stepped up through Exercise Pegasus, the largest ever national pandemic response exercise.

[Katrina Murray]

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting the general manager of one of the major supermarkets in my constituency. We talked about our memories of the early days of the covid pandemic, with the rows and rows of empty shelves. All pandemic planning should build on the lessons learned from the last one, so what role is the retail and logistics sector playing in that?

[Dan Jarvis]

My hon. Friend is right: businesses that move and sell vital goods are an essential part of any pandemic response. The resilience action plan, which was published in response to module 1 of the covid-19 inquiry, seeks to enable a whole-of-society approach to pandemic resilience. As part of that effort, we invited businesses to participate in the ongoing national pandemic exercise, Exercise Pegasus.