Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
10
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 with the risks of infection to the public. The Cabinet Office stated that the updated biological security strategy, which is due to be published in 2022, will address laboratory security.16
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Government response AI summary
The government will address laboratory safety and security as part of the forthcoming Biological Security Strategy.
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HM Treasury
11
Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 expressed concern that this might restrict the range of experts who would be willing to join the group and increase the risk of groupthink.17 The Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer subsequently told us in written evidence that they would regard this as a damaging and unhelpful restriction on the academic independence of individual scientists. They noted that, while the research and interpretations of individual scientists should not be excluded from the media, it is important that they make it clear when they are speaking as individuals, as opposed to members of SAGE.18 10 C&AG’s Report, para. 3.7; Q 31 11 C&AG’s Report, para 1.4 12 HM Government, National Risk Register: 2020 edition, December 2020 13 Q 67 14 Q 66 15 Rhys Blakely, “Safety breaches investigated at UK labs that deal with deadly viruses”, The Times, 17 September 2021 16 Q 48 17 Qq 33–34 18 Letter from the Government Office for Science and the Department of Health & Social Care, 27 January 2022 12 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk International collaboration
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Government response AI summary
The government will consider whether to include guidance on external communications in the terms of reference for expert advisory groups.
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HM Treasury
12
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 to share results from vaccine and therapeutic trials to tackle COVID-19 and prevent future health threats; the commitment of governments and life science industry, following a discussions at a UK-hosted G7 Health Ministers’ meeting in June 2021, to reduce the time to develop diagnostics, vaccines and treatments to 100 days after a new pandemic threat is identified; and the UK’s role as host of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).19
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Government response AI summary
The government is working to build on the UK’s existing international collaborations, plays an active role in multilateral fora, and continues to promote rapid intelligence sharing.
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HM Treasury
14
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 the wider private sector about risks, such those arising from just-in-time procurement.22 19 Qq 53, 62–63 20 Q54 21 Qq 51–52 22 Q 99 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk 13 2 Lessons on pandemic preparedness Learning from incidents and simulation exercises
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Government response AI summary
Government will consider strengthening domestic collaboration on risks in the development of the Resilience Strategy.
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HM Treasury
15
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 from the government’s initial pandemic response stated that preparedness for enabling that sector to switch into crisis mode in advance of the pandemic was generally poor.24 The Senior Responsible Owner for Universal Credit has stated that government had not made specific plans for unemployment surges colliding with a pandemic.25
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Government response AI summary
The government recognizes that it lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19 and will draw on the lessons learned to strengthen future planning, including considering how to ensure that government can reinstate economic support schemes at short notice without implementation issues.
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HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 partly caused by the fact that it was an asymptomatic condition that could take months before being diagnosed. The Cabinet Office and the Department recognised that government needs to set out risks more broadly and be prepared for a wider range of manifestations of any given risk.27
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Government response AI summary
The government recognizes that it did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown and will draw on lessons learned to strengthen future planning.
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HM Treasury
18
Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedn…
Acknowledged
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 …
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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 scheme at short notice without the implementation issues experienced when it was first introduced.30 In January 2022, the NHS obtained a ministerial direction to enter into a contract for spare surge capacity with private sector health providers which, based on information available at the time of our session, will cost at least £75 million a month. During the session we noted that, had government embedded learning about planning from the early COVID-19 response, that contract might have been cheaper and might have 23 C&AG’s Report, paras 3.12 & 3.19–3.20 24 Dr Kate Hardy, Dr Xanthe Whittaker, Dr Nathan Archer, Dr Helen Norman, Dr Jennifer Tomlinson and Dr Katie Cruz (Ev TRE0007) 25 Statement by Neil Couling at the webinar The safety net in action? Universal Credit’s role in the crisis and the recovery, 27 May 2020, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0QTmqX0kkM, from 22’53’’ to 23’18’’ 26 Q 43 27 Qq 38–42 28 C&AG’s Report, para. 3.20 29 Q 40 30 Dr Christoph Görtz, Prof. Danny McGowan and Dr Mallory Yeromonahos (Ev TRE0001) 14 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk not required a ministerial direction.31 We queried what percentage of NHS consultants also work for private sector health providers. The Department told us in written evidence that, based on a commercial report, about 20% of UK specialists work in private practice, and 2% work exclusively in private practice. Reports from private providers suggest that many consultants devote a small proportion of their total working time to private work and contractual provisions include that their work must not diminish the public res
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Government response AI summary
The government recognises the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency requiring lockdowns and self-isolation and will draw on the lessons learned from the pandemic response to strengthen future planning.
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HM Treasury