Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it the policy of the Government to publish all recommendations resulting from Exercise Cygnus in 2016 other than those which directly affect national security; and if he will make a statement.

The Department does not routinely publish reports on exercises. This is to allow Ministers, officials and emergency planners to develop policies and plans while ensuring that the full, candid and proper deliberation of lessons identified is not influenced or impacted by the possibility of public exposure.

Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus have informed development of preparedness plans for a future influenza pandemic. Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise has ensured that the United Kingdom remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks.