Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the names of each Government pandemic exercise held from 2010 onwards; what the (a) remit and (b) purpose was of Exercise Alice in 2016; when details of (i) Exercise Alice and (ii) all other exercises were provided to key advisory committees; and if he will publish a report to Parliament on the relevance of each exercise to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold details relating to all exercises conducted across Government. However, the Department has led on two pandemic preparedness exercises. The most recent exercise to test preparedness for an influenza pandemic was Exercise Cygnus in 2016. The report from Exercise Cygnus was published in October 2020 alongside information on how elements of our pandemic influenza plans were used in response to COVID-19. This report is available at the following link:
In February 2020, Exercise Nimbus rehearsed Ministerial-level decision-making in relation to the United Kingdom’s pandemic preparedness and response within the context of what was known at that point about COVID-19. We are unable to provide further information on this exercise as it relates to the formulation or development of Government policy.
Exercise Alice was held in February 2016 to test health system capabilities and protocols in the event of a larger outbreak, below pandemic level, of a high consequence infectious disease. We are unable to provide further information on this exercise as publication at the current time would be likely to prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.
Reports of all such exercises are shared with attendees, officials and advisory committees as appropriate following the completion of the exercises. Working closely with the recently established UK Health Security Agency, partners across the health system and with wider Government, the Department is committed to using the lessons from COVID-19 to continue to ensure that future exercises support the UK’s preparedness for all types of health protection threats.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the military played in Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Ministry of Defence was involved in the exercise at both the national and local level. At the national level, the Ministry provided policy advice to the participating Minister from that Department and responded to requests for military assistance which formed part of the exercise scenario. Standing Joint Command (UK) participated at the local level, with Joint Regional Liaison Officers providing advice to local authorities participating in the exercise.
The Ministry of Defence was further involved along with other Government departments in supporting the exercise development.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether vaccine roll-out was a part of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The aim of Exercise Cygnus was to assess the United Kingdom’s preparedness and response to a pandemic influenza as reflected in the UK’s worst-case planning scenario. Arrangements to access a pandemic vaccine is one aspect of our ‘defence in depth’ approach, as set out in the UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011. The exercise was set in week seven of the UK’s response to a pandemic influenza. At this point, pandemic vaccine had been ordered but was not yet available.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 October 2020, HCWS526 on Report on Exercise on Pandemic preparedness, if he will publish (a) when and (b) how the Government implemented each of the 22 recommendations of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government accepted all 22 recommendations of Exercise Cygnus and actions have been taken forward on all them as part of our pandemic preparedness plans, working across Government and with stakeholders. Specifically, these actions included:
- working across the whole of Government and with the devolved administrations to develop draft legislation to support the response to a future influenza pandemic; and
- improving plans within health and care sectors to flex systems and resources to expand beyond normal capacity levels.
Due to the nature of Exercise Cygnus, we have no plans to publish further details of how and when these actions have been taken forward as releasing the information could prejudice the safeguarding of national security.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the full findings of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The document ‘Exercise Cygnus Report: Tier One Command Post Exercise Pandemic Influenza 18 to 20 October 2016’, published on 20 October 2020, is the complete report of the exercise setting out all the lessons identified.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2020 to Question 113045 on Exercise Cygnus, for what reason his Department determined that the publication of the Exercise Cygnus report might negatively impact the response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
When assessing the public interest in publication of the Exercise Cygnus report, the Department sought advice from across Government on whether any part of the report was being used to develop policies to respond to COVID-19 or contained detail that might, if released during current pandemic, introduce uncertainty relating to our COVID-19 response.
Based on this advice, the cross-Government decision was made that publication was in the public interest and the full report of Exercise Cygnus was published on 20 October 2020.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the report on Exercise Cygnus identified a need for additional mental health provision during a pandemic.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The provision of mental health services during an influenza pandemic was not explicitly tested as part of Exercise Cygnus.
However, we are committed to supporting everyone’s mental wellbeing, especially during unprecedented events such as pandemics, and have ensured that mental health services have remained open throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic.
We are continuing to work with experts from the National Health Service and from public health to assess what further help and support people might need to maintain their mental health over the next few weeks and months. In addition, we have released tailored guidance to help people deal with their mental health and wellbeing on GOV.UK at the following link:
We are also promoting this through the Every Mind Matters website.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the roles were of private companies involved in Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No private companies were invited to participate in Exercise Cygnus.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Public Health England report published on 20 October 2020 the only report that exists on the findings of Exercise Cygnus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England was commissioned by the Department to organise, deliver and evaluate Exercise Cygnus. ‘Exercise Cygnus Report: Tier One Command Post Exercise Pandemic Influenza 18 to 20 October 2016’, published on 20 October 2020, is the complete report of the exercise setting out all the lessons identified.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the report into Exercise Cygnus was not published until 20 October 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government does not routinely publish reports on exercises. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a degree of public interest in the report of Exercise Cygnus.
Prior to publishing the report on Exercise Cygnus and its outcomes, the Department engaged with officials from a range of Government departments and agencies to determine whether publication during the current pandemic was in the public interest. The Department took a cautious approach to publication because of the risk that the response to the current pandemic could be negatively impacted.