Covid inquiry has cost taxpayer more than £161m, suggest Government figures

By David Lynch, Reporter2nd September 2024News EnglandCoronavirus / Covid-19, News England, Serious / Significant Case Review / Inquest

The Covid-19 Inquiry has so far cost the taxpayer more than £161 million when spending by the Government and the probe are both taken into account, figures suggest.

Some 280 civil servants are working full-time in responding to the official inquiry, according to information shared by Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds.

In the period between April and June, £5,049,000 was spent on the Government’s response to the inquiry, a written statement by the Paymaster General to the Commons said, which also revealed the latest numbers of civil service staff working on the response.

The Government’s legal costs for the first quarter of 2024-25 were £4,236,000, according to Mr Thomas-Symonds’ statement.

The combined cost to the Government for the previous year was £8,200,000, while the latest costs for the inquiry itself stand at £108,517,000. Altogether this totals more than £161 million.

In his written statement, senior Cabinet minister Mr Thomas-Symonds said the work of the inquiry was “crucial in examining the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

He added: “The Government recognises the unprecedented and wholly exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, and the importance of examining as rigorously as possible the actions the state took in response, in order to learn lessons for the future.

“The inquiry is therefore unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile, looking at recent events that have profoundly impacted everyone’s lives.”

The figures are not complete or based on a “complete set of departmental figures”, the minister said, because doing so would require “significant input from a number of key Government departments”.

He added: “While every effort has been made to ensure a robust methodology, complexities remain in trying to quantify the time and costs dedicated to the inquiry alone.”

The Covid-19 Inquiry was announced when Boris Johnson was prime minister in 2021, with the aim of learning lessons for future pandemics.

Public hearings began in June 2023, with notable appearances from former health secretary Matt Hancock, and Mr Johnson’s one-time special adviser Dominic Cummings.