Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Recommendation 4

Third Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up Published 22 Jul 2021 Paragraph 25 Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The impact of Covid-19 has not been uniform, and the extent of these differences may not be known for some time. The Government should factor detailed analysis of the impact of Covid-19 into its planning for, and delivery of, the levelling up agenda.

From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, Third Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Levelling up (HC 566), paragraph 25, 22 July 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 3 December 2021 (deadline 22 September 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response welcomes the Committee's report as a contribution to the forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper, accepting some recommendations while stating it has answered others only "insofar as possible without prejudicing live policy development".

  • On Covid-19 analysis, it "recognise[s] the importance" of factoring this into levelling up planning and says it is undertaking "a programme of work" to understand structural shifts in the economy, to feed into the agenda.
  • On a coherent plan, it is "committed to publishing" the Levelling Up White Paper and says "Further detail on our plans will be included" there, without giving a date or a detailed road map.
  • On departmental contributions, it "agree[s] with the Committee's recommendation" and says the White Paper "will assist in setting out how the work of different Departments fits into a wider Levelling Up strategy".
  • On metrics and accountability, it points to Spending Review 2020 priority outcomes and Outcome Delivery Plans, and says "Updated priority outcomes and metrics will be published at the next Spending Review."

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