Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted
The Departments told us that in the longer-term they were interested in comparing outcomes from...
Recommendation
The Departments told us that in the longer-term they were interested in comparing outcomes from the schemes in the UK with other countries, as many other developed countries ran similar schemes but designed them in slightly different ways. For example, the Departments explained that they would like to look at whether they should have been more prepared to tolerate error and fraud by accepting self-certification of claims as some countries did. But the Departments told us that they had no way of comparing outcomes, yet as other countries had not published details about their schemes such as evaluations or measurements of error and fraud. They also told us the absence of published material did not mean that other countries did not have insights, but that they were not currently accessible and they could not guarantee that they would have been able to undertake international comparisons by the time of the final evaluations in 2023.13 The Departments’ data to assess need and verify claims
Government Response Summary
HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs will continue their engagements with other relevant countries, to understand their experiences and the impacts of implementing similar employment support schemes, and comparative evidence will be included in the CJRS and SEISS final evaluations by December 2023.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1b: PAC recommendation: The Departments should, by December 2023, work with other relevant countries to develop a better understanding of how UK unemployment support schemes and those in other comparable countries compare and publish the results. 1.4 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: by December 2023 1.5 HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs will continue their engagements with other relevant countries, to understand their experiences and the impacts of implementing similar employment support schemes. Where applicable, comparative evidence will be included in the CJRS and SEISS final evaluations. 1.6 The departments will also look to factor in wider work from independent fiscal institutions and draw on relevant analysis on cross-country approaches.