Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland: Interim Report on Intergovernmental Working
Published 23 Jul 2020
Paragraph 60
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Coronavirus and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We are concerned to hear that Ministerial Implementation Groups (MIGs) and COBRA have ceased to meet in the context of the pandemic. From what we have heard about how communication standards currently stand, decision-makers in devolved nations have come to be consulted in an informal way, rather than via formalised, minuted mechanisms like the JMC. We recommend that the Government outline how it has discussed decisions about the pandemic with decision-makers in devolved nations, and how it has guaranteed that regular communication have been taking place between the four nations, thus far. The Government should explain why MIGs and COBRA have ceased to meet and what consultation there was with the Scottish, and other devolved governments, prior to this decision.
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report: Coronavirus and Scotland: Interim Report on Intergovernmental Working (HC 314), paragraph 60, 23 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 1 February 2021 (deadline 23 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government responds to each recommendation in turn, setting out existing arrangements and some commitments, while saying it is "premature" to respond on the detail of the inquiry's terms of reference.
- On regular intergovernmental meetings, it says it "fully understands the importance of strong intergovernmental relations" and sets out current mechanisms, including regular meetings between the Prime Minister and First Ministers.
- It remains committed to concluding the Intergovernmental Relations review, and says the first quarterly report on IGR activity "will be published in 2021".
- On the economic support schemes, HM Treasury and HMRC have "committed to undertaking a detailed evaluation"; the Job Retention Scheme findings will be published "by the end of 2021".
- On the Shortage Occupation List, the government is "absolutely not rejecting" the Migration Advisory Committee's recommendations and "will consider whether to implement some or all" in immigration rules changes in 2021.