Recommendations & Conclusions
22 items
2
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The pandemic has demonstrated variability in departments’ risk management. A recent cross-government review of risk management by the Government Internal Audit Agency highlighted significant variability across departments, including the 6 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk extent to which senior leaders promote and support risk …
Government response. 2: PAC conclusion: The pandemic has demonstrated variability in departments’ risk management. 2: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury should set out what they intend to do to ensure that there is sufficient uniformity in departments’ high- level …
HM Treasury
3
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
There would be significant benefits in improving the public’s awareness of the main risks facing the country and what government is doing about them. The public and Parliament have limited awareness of the main risks facing the country and of what government is doing to address them. Although government has …
Government response. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 3.2 The National Risk Register (NRR) provides a public overview of the key risks that have the potential to cause significant disruption in the United Kingdom and …
HM Treasury
4
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of international collaboration for managing the risks that the UK faces. Given the increasingly interconnected nature of our world, several of the main risks facing the UK may originate abroad and, if they materialise, will require a coordinated international response. To detect them …
Government response. 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 4.2 The government is working to build on the UK’s existing international collaborations including strong bilateral and multilateral relationships, to drive greater and broader collaboration on the global stage. The …
HM Treasury
5
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Government would have been better prepared for COVID-19 if it had applied learning from previous incidents and exercises. Government was unprepared for a pandemic with widespread asymptomatic transmission, but this was not unprecedented. The early spread of HIV, too, was partly caused by the fact that it was an asymptomatic …
Government response. The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. and the government has done extensive work to model a range of scenarios to better understand the levels of ‘bounce-back’ demand. Modelling estimates that there could be over 7 million patients who did …
HM Treasury
6
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. We have repeatedly highlighted longstanding issues with the quality of data held by government and with its ability to use data effectively to support policy interventions. Our 2019 report Challenges in using …
Government response. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2022 6.2 The newly established National Situation Centre (SitCen) became operational on 30 September 2021 bringing together data and expertise from across government, and externally where appropriate. The …
HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health & Social Care (the Department) on the government’s preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic.1
Government response. Forty-Sixth Report of Session 2021-22 Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, and HM Treasury Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk Introduction from the Committee The scale and nature of the COVID-19 pandemic …
HM Treasury
7
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The three lines of defence model of risk management, widely used in the private sector, sets out what the Orange Book characterises as a “simple and effective way to help delegate and coordinate risk management roles and responsibilities within and across the organisation”.8 Under the first line of defence, management …
HM Treasury
8
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The NAO found that, before the pandemic, departments lacked an agreed understanding of risk tolerance, such as which consequences of a pandemic they deemed acceptable and which consequences they needed to mitigate. The Cabinet Office agreed that government reached a shared understanding of the objectives and priorities they 3 Qq …
Government response. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2022 2.2 The government is committed to the development of a training programme for risk professionals (expected by September 2022) and non-experts (expected by Spring 2023), which will …
HM Treasury
9
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The National Security Risk Assessment, which sets out government’s assessment of the main risks facing the UK and its interests overseas, is classified. Government has published a summary of this assessment and of the mitigations it has put in place every two or three years since 2008.11 The last edition …
Government response. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2022 3.2 The National Risk Register (NRR) provides a public overview of the key risks that have the potential to cause significant disruption in the United Kingdom and …
HM Treasury
10
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
It was reported in September 2021 that the Health and Safety Executive had been notified of 103 instances of serious laboratory leaks, including nine in the most secure level-4 laboratories.15 Lack of transparency to the public about these leaks has hindered public discussion on balancing the benefits of scientific research …
Government response. The government will address laboratory safety and security as part of the forthcoming Biological Security Strategy.
HM Treasury
11
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
We raised the question of whether individual members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) should be allowed to make public statements that are inconsistent with the collective messaging of the Group. When asked if refraining from making such statements should be a condition for joining SAGE, the Department …
Government response. The government will consider whether to include guidance on external communications in the terms of reference for expert advisory groups.
HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The Cabinet Office acknowledged the need for international co-operation to assess threats, manage risks and share information. As examples of the UK’s engagement, they mentioned work carried out with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in response to Ebola; the Carbis Bay Declaration, issued in July 2021, which commits G7 countries …
Government response. 4: PAC conclusion: The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of international collaboration for managing the risks that the UK faces. 4: PAC recommendation: Government should set out how it intends to drive greater international collaboration on risks, including exchanging …
HM Treasury
13
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The Cabinet Office recognised that the UK needs to further strengthen international cooperation and noted that this will be a central feature of the UK resilience strategy. The Department stated that the UK is seeking a new pandemic treaty through the WHO that would place greater obligations on countries and …
Government response. 4: PAC conclusion: The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of international collaboration for managing the risks that the UK faces. 4: PAC recommendation: Government should set out how it intends to drive greater international collaboration on risks, including exchanging …
HM Treasury
14
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Alongside greater international cooperation, the Cabinet Office noted the need to strengthen domestic collaboration on risks, especially with the private sector. The Cabinet Office stated that government is considering requiring regulated companies and those that have significant dealings with government to comply with resilience standards, and enhancing its communication to …
Government response. The government agrees that it is important to strengthen domestic collaboration on risks. The government welcomes the recommendations to: work more closely with the private sector; consider requiring regulated companies and those with significant dealings with government to comply with …
HM Treasury
15
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Government lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19, including financial support to local authorities, identifying a large population advised to shield, and economic support schemes.23 A submission we received from an academic research group studying the issues concerning the early childhood education and care sector arising …
Government response. The government recognises that it lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19, including financial support to local authorities, identifying a large population advised to shield, and economic support schemes. The government will draw on the lessons …
HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The Cabinet Office attributed the absence of detailed planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 to the fact that they did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown.26 Yet, a large-scale infection with widespread asymptomatic transmission was not unprecedented. The early spread of HIV, too, was …
Government response. The government recognises that it did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown. The government will draw on the lessons learned from the pandemic response to strengthen future planning.
HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
While government took action following major pandemic simulation exercises such as Cygnus and Winter Willow, it did not act upon some of the warnings about the UK’s lack of preparedness from these simulations. For instance, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many departmental business continuity plans lacked detailed arrangements …
Government response. 5: PAC conclusion: Government would have been better prepared for COVID-19 if it had applied learning from previous incidents and exercises. 5: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set up a cross-government process to capture learning for emergency preparedness and …
HM Treasury
18
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency requiring lockdowns and self-isolation. Yet, a submission that we received from academics working on lessons from loans to support businesses through Coronavirus noted that it is unclear whether government would be able to reinstate the …
Government response. The government recognises the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency requiring lockdowns and self-isolation. The government will draw on the lessons learned from the pandemic response to strengthen future planning. This will include considering how to ensure …
HM Treasury
19
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
We have repeatedly highlighted longstanding issues with the quality of data held by government and with its ability to use data effectively to support policy interventions. Our 2019 report Challenges in using data across government noted the lack of government-wide data standards, ageing IT systems, fragmented leadership and a civil …
Government response. 6: PAC conclusion: Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. 6: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected …
HM Treasury
20
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Insufficient progress made on data issues over the years has hindered government’s initial pandemic response. For instance, local government initially lacked access to information from NHS Test and Trace that they needed to deliver their local pandemic response.34 A submission from the International Longevity Centre UK noted that, despite successive …
Government response. 6: PAC conclusion: Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. 6: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected …
HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The Cabinet Office noted that, in 2021, government set up a National Situation Centre which will provide real-time access to data government needs to respond to the emergencies set out in the National Security Risk Assessment. The Cabinet Office hopes that this will significantly enhance emergency response as it will …
Government response. 6: PAC conclusion: Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. 6: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected …
HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
The Department stated that, while government’s access to data from the social care system has greatly improved during the pandemic, it is likely that this access will be somewhat scaled down as the emergency subsides. It told us that this is because providing 31 Qq 12–27 32 Q 24; letter …
Government response. 6: PAC conclusion: Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. 6: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected …
HM Treasury