Recommendation 10

The extension of both schemes was announced in November 2020. At that stage the initial schemes had not been formally evaluated. The Departments told us that they were undertaking informal evaluations to help them tailor their communications to those the schemes were aimed at. They explained that they would be undertaking full evaluations of all of the schemes, and that these would be made public, but that full evaluations were 14 C&AG’s Report, para 1.11 15 Q 27 16 Q 27 17 C&AG’s Report, para 2.11 18 Q 75 19 Q 10, C&AG’s Report, figure 5 20 HMRC, Extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ extension-to-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme/extension-of-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme 21 C&AG’s Report, para 3.7 Covid-19: Support for jobs 11 not due until “later next year”. HMRC expected that such evaluations would consider the value for money of the schemes; how individuals with protected characteristics were covered, and the ability of the schemes to meet the needs of different communities.22 The NAO found that, to date, HMRC’s evaluation of the schemes had largely focused on lessons learned around project management as its sought to refine its ongoing delivery. On the wider issue of whether the schemes will have prevented mass unemployment, HM Treasury told us it was too soon to tell, but that the government felt it was the right thing to do to extend the schemes.23