Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Not Addressed
Government communication needs to focus on informing the public openly and honestly.
Recommendation
Government communication needs to focus on informing the public openly and honestly. As we move into the next stage of the pandemic, the roadmap back to lifting restrictions entirely, this becomes even more pertinent. Previous recommendations cover clarity on source information, and adherence to the UKSA Code of Practice. (Paragraph 82) Decision making
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response states a letter was sent to the Committee, but provides no details on how it addresses the recommendation for transparent and honest government communication, particularly regarding the roadmap.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
The Government is committed to transparency and will endeavour to publish all statistics and underlying data when referenced publicly, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The Government agrees that statistics should be used in a way that builds confidence and upholds the three pillars of the Code of Practice - trustworthiness, quality and value. Ministers and their departments are subject to the Code of Practice in respect of National Statistics, as required by the Statistics and Registration Act 2007. The Ministerial Code states that Ministers should be mindful of the good practice in relation to all official statistics. The UKSA Code of Practice is a standard tool used in statistics and the Government strives to adhere to this. The Roadmap to lift restrictions - ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ - set out in detail the analysis and data that underpinned the decision making. The Government is committed to communicating the latest COVID-19 guidance as clearly and simply as possible. The data unpinning the slides presented at COVID-19 press conferences is made available to the public via publication on GOV.UK, including reference to source information and statistical notes.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗