Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
In the event of major delays at the short Channel crossings, the Cabinet Office told...
Conclusion
In the event of major delays at the short Channel crossings, the Cabinet Office told us that there are plans to prioritise certain goods, such as exports of day-old chicks and fish for human consumption, and that additional freight capacity has been procured for the import of critical goods.73 The Cabinet Office said it is developing a border impact centre to manage disruption but is facing issues in securing access to data held by other government departments. The infrastructure in Kent to hold HGVs in case of delays is also still in development, with one of the two sites still to be acquired when we took evidence in early October.74 It is not clear how the geographical travel restrictions introduced for Covid-19 may complicate the movement of freight, although the Cabinet Office is confident the processes used to ensure freight flowed through the national lockdown will work through the winter.75 71 Q 85 72 Q 88 73 Qq 86–87 74 Qq 91, 92 75 Q100 18 Whitehall preparations for EU Exit
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
2.1 The Government agrees with this recommendation. Recommendation implemented 2.2 The government had been preparing extensively for all negotiation outcomes, and that included preparing third parties for the changes that would occur at the end of the Transition Period. The government’s approach was three-fold, and consisted of: ● a major national Public Information Campaign (PIC) clearly communicating to businesses and citizens what they need to do to prepare for the end of the Transition Period. ● the drive to GOV.UK where businesses and citizens were encouraged to use the ‘Check, Change, Go’ checker tool which provided users with a personalised list of actions based on their individual circumstances; and ● a programme of intensive business engagement events involving roundtables, email bulletins, sector panels and webinars, as well as direct contact with businesses and Business Representative Organisations. 2.3 The UK Transition PIC draws on recommendations from a comprehensive internal evaluation and summary report produced in January 2020 on the ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ (GRFB) campaign, and the NAO report. For example: ● Recommendation 1: Internal lessons learned showed communication activity should prioritise those audiences where a lack of action will lead to the greatest disruption, and where action can be taken on a ‘no regrets’ basis (it will be required regardless of the outcome of negotiations). Action: The Transition Communication Centre in the Cabinet Office built on and applied the successful prioritisation criteria for GRFB. This has been implemented throughout the PIC; in Phase 3, ‘no regrets’ actions for borders and business audiences, particularly SMEs, were broadcast through peer-to-peer messaging which showed other like-for-like businesses getting ready. ● Recommendation 2: NAO recommendations included developing a consistent way of measuring impact during the initial period of the campaign, in order to track value delivered throughout. Action: The Cabinet Office developed and collated a full range of measures to gauge third-party awareness and preparedness for the end of Transition, and consequently campaign impact, at the launch of the PIC. This includes intention to act and actions taken by audiences. Data has been continuously sourced from the Devolved Administrations, GOV.UK traffic, call centre incoming call volumes and qualitative engagement insights. It is then collated and tracked by the Transition Communication Centre on a weekly basis and is used to review and inform decisions on campaign activity and spend. 2.4 Government surveys cover not just awareness of the issues involved, but a full range of measures including intention to act and actions taken. The surveys are conducted by independent market research agencies and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). They are a vital means by which the government can estimate expected preparedness along with a range of measures that could only be gathered through a representative survey. Following the Permanent Secretary’s letter to the Committee in October 2020, survey data from the ONS has been published and can be found online with the latest relevant ONS release available via the link in the footnote1. 2.5 The government is continuously looking for new opportunities to encourage business preparedness; be it for example, through new partnerships or champions. In December 2020, the government intensified its extensive engagement with business by establishing the Brexit Business Task Force, which met weekly to discuss the practical steps businesses needed to get ready by the end of the year.