Source · Select Committees · Treasury Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Paragraph: 111
It is vital that economists work together with epidemiologists and health experts to make decisions...
Recommendation
It is vital that economists work together with epidemiologists and health experts to make decisions on social restrictions, and that the output of their work should be made public. We propose that the Government use a more multi-disciplinary approach to examine the health and economic costs of social restrictions without delay, and we recommend that the Government should put more information in the public domain as to how economic and health factors have been taken into consideration regarding Government decisions on social restrictions. How the Government made decisions on social restrictions is an area that might be expected to come under further review in any future public inquiry into the Government’s effectiveness in combating coronavirus.
Paragraph Reference:
111
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Your report makes a number of recommendations regarding the Government’s economic analysis relating to the impact of COVID-19. Since the onset of the pandemic, the Government has taken decisions based on the health, economic and social impact of COVID-19 and associated public health measures. The Government has also studied the outputs of the academic literature on epi-macro modelling and benefited from discussions with leading academics. The Government has published a significant amount of analysis of the health, economic and social impact of COVID-19 and public health measures throughout the pandemic. This includes the analysis that underpinned the steps announced as part of the Government’s Roadmap out of lockdown. For the economy, this included the impacts on GVA and jobs in those sectors affected by restrictions over the last year, as well as information about the distribution of those impacts. The Government also commissioned advice and modelling from SAGE and its sub-groups in order to inform the pace and sequencing of the Roadmap.