Recommendation 24

HM Treasury expected more reliable information on the cost of the recovery to become available around September 2021, as the uptake and repayments against major schemes like the Bounce Back Loans Scheme become clearer.45 It told us that the government will give further details on its plans for recovering from the pandemic in the Spending Review later this year, when it will set out plans for the remaining three years of this parliament. However, HM Treasury assured us that where departments have immediate requirements, it has a reserve allocated for the purpose of dealing with in-year spending pressures.46 40 Q 19; The COVID-19 cost tracker, available at: COVID-19 cost tracker – National Audit Office (NAO) 41 Qq 19, 58 42 Qq 29, 32, 33, 69 43 Qq 29–31 44 Q 31 45 Q 47 46 Qq 24, 38, 39, 57, 59 COVID 19: Cost Tracker Update 15