Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
2
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 management, departments’ capabilities, and their degree of alignment to the Orange Book, the government’s guidance on risk management. We are surprised that there are no uniformity in government’s high-level alignment with the Orange Book and a seeming lack of appreciation for the principles of the three lines of defence model. 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. It is only after departments started responding to the crisis that they reached a shared understanding of the objectives and priorities they should focus on. Recommendation: The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury should set out what they intend to do to ensure that there is sufficient uniformity in department’s high-level interpretation of and alignment to the principles of the Orange Book. As part of this, the Cabinet Office should set out how it will ensure that departments have a shared understanding of the government’s tolerance for the impacts of major risks, including what levels of impact are acceptable and what levels of impact require mitigation.
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Government response AI summary
The government is developing a training programme for risk professionals and non-experts to improve understanding of the Orange Book, and the NSRA and NRPAs are shared to ensure understanding of risks, while risk management remains the responsibility of departments.
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HM Treasury
3
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 published a public-facing national risk register since 2008, this document is not widely known. Our witnesses recognised that government has a chequered history in communicating risks to the public and acknowledged that the government’s messaging on risks should be more balanced, accessible to non-experts and lend itself to practical actions. Greater public awareness of government’s planning for major risks, including the work it will carry out as part of the nascent catastrophic emergencies programme, would help avoid complacency, focus the minds of the officials who are tasked with risk planning, help to ensure the public is more aware of what is being done to protect them from harm and highlight opportunities for public engagement, awareness raising and behavioural change. The Government carried out a consultation last summer on a national resilience strategy and had over a million different interactions with it. This demonstrates a high level of public interest in these matters. Equally MPs collectively received hundreds of thousands of emails at the start of the lockdown, largely because the Gov.uk website did not provide clear and intelligible advice, or provide effective mechanisms for MPs to raise constituents problems. Recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out how it plans to increase public awareness of the main risks facing the UK. It should also report annually to Parliament: • on what actions government has undertaken during the year to mitigate the risks covered by the catastrophic emergencies programme and provide an assessment of government’s preparedness for each risk; • what changes Government in making as a result of its consultations o
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Government response AI summary
The government will increase public awareness of the main risks facing the UK and report annually to Parliament on actions taken to mitigate risks, and changes made as a result of consultations, through the forthcoming Resilience Strategy and building on the National Risk Register.
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HM Treasury
4
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 and respond to them effectively, government needs to strengthen the exchange of information with other countries, cooperate on horizon scanning and the early detection of threats, and learn from the experiences of other countries. It will also need to foster international debate on medium and long-term existential risks to humanity, which can only be addressed through concerted global action. Promoting greater international collaboration will require the UK to play a more prominent role in international forums, such as the World Health Organisation. Recommendation: Government should set out how it intends to drive greater international collaboration on risks, including exchanging information on threats, promoting and integrating mutual learning and coordinating responses across borders.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the Committee's recommendation and is working to build on the UK’s existing international collaborations, securing commitments on critical global health risks and supporting the Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI).
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HM Treasury
5
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 condition that could take months before being diagnosed. While government took action following major simulation exercises such as Cygnus and Winter Willow, it did not act upon exercises Valverde, relating to novel coronavirus, and Alice, relating to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This resulted in a lot of PPE in the Governments strategic stocks which was not suitable for Covid, although the department said it was still able to use “a huge amount of it”. We are not convinced that government has learnt lessons from its lack of planning. For instance, it is unclear whether government would be able to reinstate the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme at short notice without the implementation issues incurred when the scheme was first introduced. Recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set up a cross-government process to capture learning for emergency preparedness and resilience from exercises and actual incidents, including COVID-19, and to allocate clear accountabilities for applying learning. It should report annually on the implementation of each learning point.
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Government response AI summary
The government has done extensive work to model a range of scenarios to better understand the levels of ‘bounce-back’ demand.
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HM Treasury
6
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 data across government noted the lack of government-wide data standards, ageing IT systems, fragmented leadership, and a civil service culture that does not support sharing data across departmental boundaries. For instance, the contact centre that government set up a part of its programme to support those most vulnerable during the first lockdown could not get in touch with around 8 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk 800,000 individuals due to missing or inaccurate NHS records. The lack of progress on data issues over the years is likely to hinder government’s initiatives to improve preparedness. While government has set up a National Situation Centre which will provide real-time access to the data government needs to respond to emergencies, this will bring limited benefits if the quality of the data collected remains low. If government access to key data—such as social care data—is scaled down following the pandemic, this will further hinder preparedness for future emergencies. Recommendation: The Cabinet Office should set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected by the National Situation Centre are in greatest need of improvement and what it plans to do to implement those improvements. As part of this response, government should set out how it plans to retain access to the social care data required to respond to future pandemics. Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk 9 1 Lessons on risk management and communication
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the National Situation Centre (SitCen) will use the National Strategic Risk Assessment (NSRA) framework for prioritizing data and that access to social care data collected to monitor COVID-19 will continue as long as these data collections remain in place, with SitCen …
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HM Treasury
8
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 28, 55–60, 74, 80–83 4 C&AG’s Report, para. 3.14; Q 70. 5 C&AG’s Report, para. 4.2; HM Government, The Orange Book: Management of Risk – Principles and Concepts, February 2020 6 Qq 86–95 7 Government Finance Function, Good Practice Guide: Risk Reporting, August 2021; Risk Appetite Guidance Note, October 2020, revised August 2021; Risk Management Skills and Capabilities Framework, August 2021 8 HM Government, The Orange Book: Management of Risk – Principles and Concepts, February 2020 9 Qq 49, 84–85 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk 11 should focus on only at the start of a pandemic, following the establishment of its crisis response structures. Government officials told the NAO that a shared understanding of risk tolerance for many cross-government issues is still being developed.10 Communication of the main risks facing the UK
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) and National Resilience Planning Assumptions (NRPAs) are shared with departments to ensure a shared understanding of risks and response requirements, and that departments are responsible for managing resilience risks.
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HM Treasury
9
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 of this public-facing National Risk Register was published in December 2020.12 The Cabinet Office acknowledged that government has a chequered history in communicating risks to the public and stated that government’s messaging on risks should be more balanced, accessible to non-experts and lend itself to practical actions.13 It noted that clearer public communication of risks would help people make evidence-based choices on how to prepare for the impacts of risk events. It would also support government’s goal of engaging the wider population in government’s “judgments about what is an acceptable level of risk and what is the correct level of investment to prevent those risks in the future”. The Cabinet Office stated that clearer communication of risk is one of the foundational principles of the government’s resilience strategy, which had over one million different interactions and is due to be published in 2022.14
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Government response AI summary
The government will build on the National Risk Register to better communicate risk to the public through enhanced Parliamentary reporting/debate and improved public access to risk information, as part of the forthcoming Resilience Strategy.
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HM Treasury
13
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 that it would welcome the introduction of an early international alert level, prior to the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.20 To foster public debate on existential risks to the whole of mankind, which cannot be mitigated by nations individually but require a long-term, concerted international effort, the Cabinet Office stated that it is considering including a commentary on existential risks in the next edition of the National Risk Register. The Cabinet Office pointed to efforts to tackle climate change and to regulatory work on general- purpose artificial intelligence as examples of work being carried out internationally on specific existential risks.21
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to build on existing international collaborations, plays an active role in multilateral fora and with bilateral partners, and secured commitments on critical global health risks during the UK’s 2021 G7 Presidency.
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HM Treasury
17
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 for supplier assurance, despite the fact that following Winter Willow the government had noted the need for organisations to ensure that their business continuity plans were better coordinated with those of their partners.28 The Department recognised that government needed to embed lessons learned through a range of simulation exercises.29
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Government response AI summary
The government states that there are existing structures, platforms, and processes to capture and share lessons identified from exercises and operations, notably, the Joint Organisational Learning (JOL) system.
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HM Treasury
19
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
Read more
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 service culture that does not support sharing data across departmental boundaries. For instance, the contact centre that government set up a part of its programme to support those most vulnerable during the first lockdown could not get in touch with around 800,000 individuals due to missing or inaccurate NHS records. As we noted in our 2021 report Challenges in implementing digital change, scarcity of specialist digital, data and technology skills across the public and private sectors and a lack of digital skills among government’s senior non-specialists limit government’s ability to address these issues.33
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed with the Committee's recommendation and plans to set out its assessment of the areas in which the data collected by the National Situation Centre are in greatest need of improvement and what it plans to do to implement those improvements. The government …
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HM Treasury
20
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 promises from the government, “there has been a lack of coordinated information recording and record sharing between health professionals. The government has built an expansive data infrastructure to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, but had to do so almost from scratch when it should have already existed”.35
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the National Situation Centre (SitCen) will use the National Strategic Risk Assessment (NSRA) framework for prioritizing data and that access to social care data collected to monitor COVID-19 will continue as long as these data collections remain in place, with SitCen …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
21
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 no longer have to collect and aggregate data from scratch when a new crisis begins. While this initiative is laudable, it will bring limited benefits if the quality of the data collected remains low.36
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the National Situation Centre (SitCen) will use the National Strategic Risk Assessment (NSRA) framework for prioritizing data and that access to social care data collected to monitor COVID-19 will continue as long as these data collections remain in place, with SitCen …
Read full response →
HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Accepted
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 …
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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 from the Department of Health & Social Care, 27 January 2022 33 Committee of Public Accounts, Challenges in using data across government, 118th Report of Session 2017–19, HC 2492, 25 September 2019; and Committee of Public Accounts, Challenges in implementing digital change, 30th Report of Session 2021–22, HC 637, 10 December 2021 34 C&AG’s Report, The government’s approach to test and trace in England – interim report, Session 2019–20, HC 1070, 11 December 2020, para. 23 35 International Longevity Centre UK (Ev TRE0002) 36 Qq 103–106 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk 15 data to government comes at a significant cost to the small- and medium-scale private businesses that make up a large part of the social care system, and a balance should be sought between sector resilience and the burden on businesses.37 37 Q 109 16 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the National Situation Centre (SitCen) will use the National Strategic Risk Assessment (NSRA) framework for prioritizing data and that access to social care data collected to monitor COVID-19 will continue as long as these data collections remain in place, with SitCen …
Read full response →
HM Treasury