Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government departments in Northern Ireland to ensure that all required information is provided to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry in the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive.

Government departments and the devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, are individual core participants to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, so departments are not able to provide support to them in responding to the Inquiry.

Government departments and devolved administrations make their own decision on whether to apply for core participant status.

A core participant is an individual or organisation that has a specific interest in the work of the Inquiry with a formal role as defined by the Inquiry Rules 2006. Core participants have special benefits in the Inquiry process, including early sight of evidence and the ability to make opening and closing statements and present their position to the Inquiry.