Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) public and (b) private sector organisations contributed to Exercise Cygnus; and how many of those organisations have been consulted following that exercise on its the findings and recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Exercise Cygnus was a national level pandemic influenza exercise involving Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; other Government departments; devolved administrations; NHS England; Public Health England and local agencies.

The lessons identified from the exercise have been considered across Government and shared with participants and local pandemic preparedness planners. Lessons identified from previous influenza pandemics, and exercises such as Exercise Cygnus, continue to inform the development of pandemic preparedness plans.