Wales activated strategic response 31 times in 2025, with new crisis model due in autumn 2026

FIRST MINISTER Eluned Morgan has said Wales has “significantly strengthened” the way government and emergency services prepare for and respond to major incidents, as she published the Welsh Government’s second six-monthly progress update following the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report.

In a written statement issued on Wednesday (Jan 14), Morgan said the Wales Resilience Framework and its delivery plan — announced in May 2025 — continues to guide work to improve risk assessment, strengthen readiness and response capability, and build community resilience, with a particular focus on the impacts of emergencies on vulnerable people.

The update follows the UK Inquiry’s Module 1 findings on the UK’s resilience and preparedness, which made a series of recommendations aimed at improving civil emergency planning and pandemic readiness. The Welsh Government published its formal response to Module 1 in January 2025 and provided a first six-monthly update in July 2025.

Morgan said that over the last two years Wales has consolidated and strengthened coordination between government and emergency responders, describing a “Team Wales” approach built around a shared risk picture, clearer joint protocols, joint training and exercising, and active oversight.

Response activated 31 times in 2025

The First Minister said Wales activated its strategic response arrangements on 31 occasions in 2025 to support national and local multi-agency coordination. She said stress-testing those arrangements in real incidents and exercises had delivered faster mobilisation and more coordinated communications during incidents including water outages, flooding, cyber attacks and wildfires.

New crisis model being developed

Responding to the Inquiry’s recommendation about leadership for prolonged, whole-system emergencies, Morgan said Wales uses a “lead department” model underpinned by subsidiarity — taking decisions at the lowest appropriate level, while coordinating at the highest necessary level.

She said ministers also recognise the model can have limitations during prolonged emergencies, and that a cross-government group has been established to develop an alternative approach for enduring whole-system crises.

That work will inform a Welsh Government Crisis Management Concept of Operations (CONOPs), which the statement said will be published in final form in autumn 2026 following consultation with partners and independent review.

Better data on vulnerability

The statement also highlighted work to improve risk assessment and the identification of vulnerable groups during emergencies.

Morgan said a dedicated team is enhancing the Welsh Government’s JIGSO data platform, hosted on DataMapWales, which is used during emergency responses and planning. The statement said JIGSO can enable secure access to sensitive information — including data drawn from Dŵr Cymru’s Priority Services Register — to help emergency services and resilience partners prioritise support to properties and households classed as at risk.

Pandemic exercise findings due late 2026

Morgan confirmed Wales took part in Exercise PEGASUS, a UK-wide “Tier 1” pandemic preparedness exercise involving all four nations, testing response arrangements across phases of emergence, containment and mitigation, with a recovery phase continuing into 2026.

A report setting out findings and learning from the exercise is expected to be published in late 2026, the statement said.

Health data upgrades and modelling strategy

The First Minister said Wales has established a data, evidence and analytical team to integrate data into emergency planning and response, and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK National Situation Centre on reciprocal data provision during crises.

The statement also said up to £2.29m in 2025–26 was awarded to Public Health Wales to transform its core health protection digital system, with the first phase scheduled to complete in March 2026, and that work is continuing on the Welsh Emergency Care Data Set, with full adoption still targeted for autumn 2026.

Senedd scrutiny

The Welsh Government has also provided an evidence paper to the Senedd’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee ahead of a scrutiny session with the First Minister on Thursday (Jan 15).

Response from other parties

No formal responses from opposition parties to Wednesday’s written statement were available at the time of writing.

The statement said the Welsh Government will continue to work with the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide emergencies, including through four-nations resilience structures.