Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act 2020

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 15 May 2020 Closed: 9 Mar 2021 Parliament page
The Coronavirus Act 2020 was emergency legislation passed by Parliament on 25 March, to provide the Government with the powers it wanted to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. PACAC has launched this inquiry to scrutinise the constitutional and public administration aspects of the Act, with the goal of … Read more
13 Recommendations
11 Conclusions
1 Report
4 Oral sessions
11 Letters
4 Events
Activity timeline 17 events
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act 2020
Dame Una O’Brien DCB Dr Alister Stark Emma Norris · Institute for Government Jason Beer QC Sir Robert Francis · HealthWatch England The Rt Hon. the Baroness Prashar CBE The Rt Hon. the Lord Butler of Brockwell KG GCB CVO
Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act 2020
Clara Swinson · Department for Health and Social Care Edward Argar MP · Department of Health and Social Care Katharine Hammond · Cabinet Office Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP · Cabinet Office
Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act 2020
Gordon Lyons MLA · Northern Ireland Assembly Jeremy Miles MS · Welsh Government Michael Russell MSP · Scottish Parliament
Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act 2020
Dr. Ronan Cormacain · (self-employed) Professor Aileen McHarg · Durham University Raphael Hogarth · Institute for Government
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
9 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Parliamentary Scru…
Parliamentary processes and debates help to confer legitimacy upon policy changes made through emergency legislation,...
Parliamentary processes and debates help to confer legitimacy upon policy changes made through emergency legislation, particularly when the legislation is so striking in its curtailment of liberties that would normally be taken for granted. Such debates also provide opportunities for … Read more
Government Response
The government notes concerns and states it will continue to provide opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny. It reaffirms the Secretary of State's commitment to facilitate debates on significant national regulations before they come into force, whenever circumstances permit, citing specific recent examples of this practice.
16 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Fourth Report - Parliamentary Scru…
The Government did not immediately set out the exceptions to the ban on gatherings in...
The Government did not immediately set out the exceptions to the ban on gatherings in private dwellings in parts of the North of England but instead waited until it introduced the legislation. This is particularly strange when the exceptions relating … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledged the occasional delay between announcements and regulations, committing to continually strive for timely future announcements and clearer wording to avoid confusion, recognizing the challenge of balancing swift action with clear communication.
Government Response AI assessment · 24 of 13 classified

Total 13 recs + 11 conclusions
Correspondence 11 letters
6 Oct 2020 To committee Letter from the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on renewal of provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020, dated 29.9.20
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22 Sep 2020 From committee Letter to the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP on debate on renewal of provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020, dated 17.9.20
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2 Sep 2020 To committee Letter from Edward Argar MP, Minister of State for Health on follow-up evidence after 14.7.20 oral evidence session, dated 26.8.20
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2 Sep 2020 To committee Letter from the Paymaster General Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP on follow-up evidence after 14.7.20 oral evidence session, dated 21.8.20
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2 Sep 2020 To committee Letter from Gordon Lyons MLA, Junior Minister, Executive Office, Northern Ireland on follow-up evidence after 23.6.20 oral evidence session, dated 3.8.20
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21 Jul 2020 To committee Letter from Michael Russell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs on civil contingency planning and preparedness, dated 17.7.20
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7 Jul 2020 To committee Letter from Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation on Covid-19 statistics, dated 1.7.20
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16 Jun 2020 To committee Letter from Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State on Boundary review and electoral data and annual canvass 2020, dated 9.6.20
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9 Jun 2020 Correspondence with Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MP regarding invitation to give oral evidence on Coronavirus, dated 2.6.20
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9 Jun 2020 Correspondence with Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP regarding invitation to give oral evidence on Coronavirus, dated 2.6.20
Parliament page
9 Jun 2020 Correspondence with Rt Hon Arlene Foster MLA regarding invitation to give oral evidence on Coronavirus, dated 2.6.20
Parliament page