COVID Inquiry Has Cost Taxpayers £161 Million, Government Figures Suggest

Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett arrives at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry at Dorland House in London, during its first investigation (Module 1) examining if the pandemic was properly planned for and "whether the UK was adequately ready for that eventuality," on July 12, 2023. PA

The total cost of the Covid-19 Inquiry, accounting for its own costs and expenses by the government, runs to more than £161 million, according to the latest figures.

The responses to the inquiry are led by staff across various government departments.

In the period from April to June, the government employed 280 civil servants, who facilitated responses from the Cabinet Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the Treasury among others. This cost the government £5,049,000, according to a written statement by Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds.

The Government Legal Department partners with firms of solicitors and legal counsel to support the responses to the inquiry. These associated legal costs for first quarter were £4,236,000.

The figures, published on Monday, are part of the latest government update on the costs of the inquiry. Previous statements were delivered in May and February under the Conservative government.

The inquiry publishes its own running costs quarterly. Its financial report for the first quarter of the year was delivered on July 29, recording £14,763,000 in expenses.

The total amount paid by the inquiry so far is £108,517,000, which accounts for operation and legal costs. Part of this is the remuneration for the work of Baroness Heather Hallett, the inquiry chair, which so far is £491,000. The inquiry also pays for holding preliminary and full public hearings, expert advisers, and translation services.

Combined with the total expenses by the government, the costs for taxpayers add up to more than £161 million.

Thomas-Symonds said that the inquiry, which is examining the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of that period on the country, is “unprecedented in its scope, complexity and profile.”

He noted that responses to the inquiry are not limited to the work by full-time staff within the government. They also include expertise from across the inquiry’s own organisations.

The figures announced by Thomas-Symonds don’t include staff costs associated with appearing as witnesses, preparing witnesses, and associated policy development work on the inquiry.

Value for Money

The TaxPayers’ Alliance has estimated the projected cost of the inquiry to be over £196 million, making it the most expensive statutory inquiry by total cost and the most costly inquiry on a per day basis.

Based on this, the Covid-19 Inquiry will surpass the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

“This is despite the length of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse being almost double the length of the projected Covid Inquiry run time,” the Taxpayers’ Alliance said.

The group’s head of campaigns, Elliot Keck, has previously questioned the costs and the benefits of the inquiry for taxpayers.

“This isn’t the first time taxpayers have had to pay an arm and a leg for a public inquiry. Between April 2015 and June 2020 TaxPayers’ Alliance research revealed that over £300 million had been spent on these exercises, often designed as a way for politicians to avoid tricky issues, rather than to properly scrutinise major events,” Keck said.

But according to Thomas-Symonds, evidence heard by the inquiry and the reports it produces “will play a key role in informing the Government’s planning and preparations for the future.”

The inquiry’s first report was published in July and included 10 recommendations on the resilience and preparedness of the UK to respond to a pandemic.

The inquiry suggested holding a UK-wide pandemic response exercise at least every three years. It also recommended a single, independent statutory body to be responsible for whole-system preparedness and response.

A number of high-profile witnesses have appeared before the inquiry, including the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and former chief adviser to Johnson, Dominic Cummings. Witnesses are expected to conclude giving evidence in June 2026.