diff --git a/lib/classes/event/base.php b/lib/classes/event/base.php
index e0034bd6674..c77e0ab5ae5 100644
--- a/lib/classes/event/base.php
+++ b/lib/classes/event/base.php
@@ -478,6 +478,69 @@ abstract class base implements \IteratorAggregate {
         return $event;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Get static information about an event.
+     * This is used in reports and is not for general use.
+     *
+     * @return array Static information about the event.
+     */
+    public static final function get_static_info() {
+        /** Var \core\event\base $event. */
+        $event = new static();
+        // Set static event data specific for child class.
+        $event->init();
+        return array(
+            'eventname' => $event->data['eventname'],
+            'component' => $event->data['component'],
+            'target' => $event->data['target'],
+            'action' => $event->data['action'],
+            'crud' => $event->data['crud'],
+            'edulevel' => $event->data['edulevel'],
+            'objecttable' => $event->data['objecttable'],
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get an explanation of what the class does.
+     * By default returns the phpdocs from the child event class. Ideally this should
+     * be overridden to return a translatable get_string style markdown.
+     * e.g. return new lang_string('eventyourspecialevent', 'plugin_type');
+     *
+     * @return string An explanation of the event formatted in markdown style.
+     */
+    public static function get_explanation() {
+        $ref = new \ReflectionClass(get_called_class());
+        $docblock = $ref->getDocComment();
+
+        // Check that there is something to work on.
+        if (empty($docblock)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $docblocklines = explode("\n", $docblock);
+        // Remove the bulk of the comment characters.
+        $pattern = "/(^\s*\/\*\*|^\s+\*\s|^\s+\*)/";
+        $cleanline = array();
+        foreach ($docblocklines as $line) {
+            $templine = preg_replace($pattern, '', $line);
+            // If there is nothing on the line then don't add it to the array.
+            if (!empty($templine)) {
+                $cleanline[] = rtrim($templine);
+            }
+            // If we get to a line starting with an @ symbol then we don't want the rest.
+            if (preg_match("/^@|\//", $templine)) {
+                // Get rid of the last entry (it contains an @ symbol).
+                array_pop($cleanline);
+                // Break out of this foreach loop.
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        // Add a line break to the sanitised lines.
+        $explanation = implode("\n", $cleanline);
+
+        return $explanation;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns event context.
      * @return \context
diff --git a/lib/classes/event/manager.php b/lib/classes/event/manager.php
index 879b4a636ea..28f9d13583f 100644
--- a/lib/classes/event/manager.php
+++ b/lib/classes/event/manager.php
@@ -215,15 +215,16 @@ class manager {
         self::$allobservers = array();
 
         $plugintypes = \core_component::get_plugin_types();
+        $plugintypes = array_merge(array('core' => 'not used'), $plugintypes);
         $systemdone = false;
         foreach ($plugintypes as $plugintype => $ignored) {
-            $plugins = \core_component::get_plugin_list($plugintype);
-            if (!$systemdone) {
-                $plugins[] = "$CFG->dirroot/lib";
-                $systemdone = true;
+            if ($plugintype === 'core') {
+                $plugins['core'] = "$CFG->dirroot/lib";
+            } else {
+                $plugins = \core_component::get_plugin_list($plugintype);
             }
 
-            foreach ($plugins as $fulldir) {
+            foreach ($plugins as $plugin => $fulldir) {
                 if (!file_exists("$fulldir/db/events.php")) {
                     continue;
                 }
@@ -232,7 +233,7 @@ class manager {
                 if (!is_array($observers)) {
                     continue;
                 }
-                self::add_observers($observers, "$fulldir/db/events.php");
+                self::add_observers($observers, "$fulldir/db/events.php", $plugintype, $plugin);
             }
         }
 
@@ -248,8 +249,10 @@ class manager {
      * Add observers.
      * @param array $observers
      * @param string $file
+     * @param string $plugintype Plugin type of the observer.
+     * @param string $plugin Plugin of the observer.
      */
-    protected static function add_observers(array $observers, $file) {
+    protected static function add_observers(array $observers, $file, $plugintype = null, $plugin = null) {
         global $CFG;
 
         foreach ($observers as $observer) {
@@ -292,6 +295,8 @@ class manager {
                 }
                 $o->includefile = $observer['includefile'];
             }
+            $o->plugintype = $plugintype;
+            $o->plugin = $plugin;
             self::$allobservers[$observer['eventname']][] = $o;
         }
     }
@@ -306,6 +311,17 @@ class manager {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns all observers in the system. This is only for use for reporting on the list of observers in the system.
+     *
+     * @access private
+     * @return array An array of stdClass with all core observer details.
+     */
+    public static function get_all_observers() {
+        self::init_all_observers();
+        return self::$allobservers;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Replace all standard observers.
      * @param array $observers
diff --git a/lib/tests/event_test.php b/lib/tests/event_test.php
index fe79d577c13..ad84112678a 100644
--- a/lib/tests/event_test.php
+++ b/lib/tests/event_test.php
@@ -159,12 +159,16 @@ class core_event_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $observer->priority = 200;
         $observer->internal = false;
         $observer->includefile = null;
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[0] = $observer;
         $observer = new stdClass();
         $observer->callable = '\core_tests\event\unittest_observer::observe_one';
         $observer->priority = 0;
         $observer->internal = true;
         $observer->includefile = $CFG->dirroot.'/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php';
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[1] = $observer;
 
         $this->assertEquals($expected, $result['\core_tests\event\unittest_executed']);
@@ -175,6 +179,8 @@ class core_event_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $observer->priority = 100;
         $observer->internal = true;
         $observer->includefile = null;
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[0] = $observer;
 
         $this->assertEquals($expected, $result['\core\event\unknown_executed']);
@@ -185,12 +191,16 @@ class core_event_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $observer->priority = 10;
         $observer->internal = true;
         $observer->includefile = null;
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[0] = $observer;
         $observer = new stdClass();
         $observer->callable = array('\core_tests\event\unittest_observer', 'observe_all_alt');
         $observer->priority = 0;
         $observer->internal = true;
         $observer->includefile = null;
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[1] = $observer;
 
         $this->assertEquals($expected, $result['\core\event\base']);
@@ -213,6 +223,8 @@ class core_event_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         $observer->priority = 0;
         $observer->internal = true;
         $observer->includefile = $CFG->dirroot.'/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php';
+        $observer->plugintype = null;
+        $observer->plugin = null;
         $expected[0] = $observer;
         $this->assertEquals($expected, $result['\core_tests\event\unittest_executed']);
 
@@ -749,4 +761,72 @@ class core_event_testcase extends advanced_testcase {
         phpunit_event_mock::testable_set_event_context($event, null);
         $this->assertEventContextNotUsed($event);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Test that all observer information is returned correctly.
+     */
+    public function test_get_all_observers() {
+        // Retrieve all observers.
+        $observers = \core\event\manager::get_all_observers();
+
+        // Expected information from the workshop allocation scheduled observer.
+        $expected = array();
+        $observer = new stdClass();
+        $observer->callable = '\workshopallocation_scheduled\observer::workshop_viewed';
+        $observer->priority = 0;
+        $observer->internal = true;
+        $observer->includefile = null;
+        $observer->plugintype = 'workshopallocation';
+        $observer->plugin = 'scheduled';
+        $expected[0] = $observer;
+
+        $this->assertEquals($expected, $observers['\mod_workshop\event\course_module_viewed']);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test formatting of the get_explanation method.
+     * This formats the information from an events class docblock.
+     */
+    public function test_get_explanation() {
+        $explanation = \core_tests\event\full_docblock::get_explanation();
+
+        $expected = "This is an explanation of the event.
+     - I'm making a point here.
+     - I have a second {@link something}  point here.
+     - whitespace is intentional to test it's removal.
+I have something else *Yeah* that.";
+
+        $this->assertEquals($explanation, $expected);
+
+        $explanation = \core_tests\event\docblock_test2::get_explanation();
+
+        $expected = "We have only the description in the docblock
+and nothing else.";
+
+        $this->assertEquals($explanation, $expected);
+
+        $explanation = \core_tests\event\docblock_test3::get_explanation();
+        $expected = "Calendar event created event.";
+        $this->assertEquals($explanation, $expected);
+
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Test that general information about an event is returned
+     * by the get_static_info() method.
+     */
+    public function test_get_static_info() {
+        $staticinfo = \core_tests\event\static_info_viewing::get_static_info();
+
+        $expected = array(
+            'eventname'   => '\\core_tests\\event\\static_info_viewing',
+            'component'   => 'core_tests',
+            'target'      => 'static_info',
+            'action'      => 'viewing',
+            'crud'        => 'r',
+            'edulevel'    => 0,
+            'objecttable' => 'mod_unittest'
+        );
+        $this->assertEquals($staticinfo, $expected);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php b/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
index 885a3f0927a..cc8de0b22a7 100644
--- a/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
+++ b/lib/tests/fixtures/event_fixtures.php
@@ -276,3 +276,66 @@ class context_used_in_event extends \core\event\base {
         return array($this->data['courseid'], 'core_unittest', 'view', 'unittest.php?id=' . $this->context->instanceid);
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * This is an explanation of the event.
+ *      - I'm making a point here.
+ *      - I have a second {@link something}  point here.
+ *      - whitespace is intentional to test it's removal.
+ *
+ *
+ * I have something else *Yeah* that.
+ *
+ *
+ *
+ * @package    core
+ * @category   phpunit
+ * @copyright  2014 Adrian Greeve <adrian@moodle.com>
+ * @license    http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
+ */
+class full_docblock extends \core\event\base {
+
+    protected function init() {
+
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * We have only the description in the docblock
+ * and nothing else.
+ */
+class docblock_test2 extends \core\event\base {
+
+    protected function init() {
+
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Calendar event created event.
+ *
+ * @property-read array $other Extra information about the event.
+ *     -int timestart: timestamp for event time start.
+ *     -string name: Name of the event.
+ *     -int repeatid: Id of the parent event if present, else 0.
+ *
+ * @package    core
+ * @since      Moodle 2.7
+ * @copyright  2014 onwards Adrian Greeve
+ * @license    http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
+ */
+class docblock_test3 extends \core\event\base {
+
+    protected function init() {
+
+    }
+}
+
+class static_info_viewing extends \core\event\base {
+
+    protected function init() {
+        $this->data['crud'] = 'r';
+        $this->data['edulevel'] = self::LEVEL_OTHER;
+        $this->data['objecttable'] = 'mod_unittest';
+    }
+}