Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
In our report Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk management,...
Recommendation
In our report Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk management, we concluded that the pandemic has exposed limitations in how government manages risks, especially those that cut across institutional boundaries. We said government needs to learn lessons on leadership and oversight for whole- system risks, in line with the principles of the Orange Book, which sets out mandatory requirements and guidance on risk management.24 The Cabinet Office told us that health measures were not implemented as a single cross-government programme but as seven different programmes: providing public health advice, checks by Border Force officers at the border, testing, working with the travel industry, the exemptions policy, FCDO travel advice, and the DHSC’s MQS, rather than a single cross-government programme.25
Government Response Summary
HM Treasury will work with the Cabinet Office to develop guidance, consistent with the principles-based approach in the Orange Book, on aggregating and managing risks at a portfolio level. They will also review approaches taken on some other cross-government portfolios to understand where the new guidance could be used and provide an update to the Committee by January 2023.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
7: PAC conclusion: The Cabinet Office failed to bring together how risks were identified and managed across the portfolio of programmes for implementing health measures at the border. 7: PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should produce, within six months, guidance to accompany the Orange Book setting out how cross-government portfolios of programmes should aggregate and manage risks at a portfolio-level so that effective whole-system governance processes are in place. To the same timescale, it should review whether other cross-government portfolios have effective whole-system governance and risk management processes in place. 7.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: January 2023 7.2 The Risk Profession in HM Treasury will work with the Cabinet Office to develop guidance, consistent with the principles-based approach in the Orange Book, on aggregating and managing risks at a portfolio level, and undertake a review of approaches taken on some other cross-government portfolios to understand the types of portfolios where there could be opportunities to use the new guidance. HM Treasury will write to the Committee with an update by the target implementation date.