Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 13
Seventh Report - Coronavirus Act 2020 Two Years On
Published 18 Mar 2022
Paragraph 75
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Coronavirus Act 2020 Two Years On All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Committee calls on the Government to carefully consider the use of guidance in future emergencies to ensure maximum clarity and minimal complexity for the public and law enforcement. The Government should ensure that future legislation of this type doesn’t allow for the ability to use guidance to overrule key elements of legislation, as this leads to confusion.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Coronavirus Act 2020 Two Years On (HC 978), paragraph 75, 18 March 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 May 2022 (deadline 18 May 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and says it continues to review the legal framework and lessons learned from COVID-19, with several matters left to the independent UK COVID-19 Inquiry.
- On sunset clauses, the government "agrees that sunset clauses, including their length, should be considered carefully and explained to Parliament".
- On amending provisions after Royal Assent, the government notes the Committee's view and says it is "standard legislative process that Parliament is not able to amend primary legislation once an Act has gained Royal Assent".
- On reviewing individual provisions, the government says it "is still to be determined whether any additional centrally-coordinated review will take place" beyond the independent inquiry. Inquiry timing is a matter for its independent Chair.
- On two-monthly reports, the government says it "will continue to publish" them, with detail "proportional to the provisions which remain in force".