Eleventh Report - Economic impact of coronavirus: gaps in support and economic analysis

Select Committee
Treasury Committee HC 882 15 February 2021
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 24 items (15 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 24 of 24 classified)
Accepted 11
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 3
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 7
Government response
Sixth Special Report: Economic impact of coronavirus: gaps in support and economic analysis: Government Response to the Committee's Eleventh Report · published 26 Apr 2021
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Recommendations & Conclusions

11 results
2 Recommendation Accepted
We recommend that the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility provide a commentary at...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility provide a commentary at the time of the Budget on GDP measurement issues and the implications that these measurement issues have for comparisons between the UK and other countries. … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating that it had already provided a commentary on GDP measurement issues and international comparisons in pages 11 and 12 of the Budget document.
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3 Conclusion Accepted
Para 34
Given the economic outlook, we believe that the Government was right to extend both the...
Conclusion
Given the economic outlook, we believe that the Government was right to extend both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employment Income Support Scheme to the end of April 2021. However, given the extended duration of restrictions, we believe … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government stated it had already extended the CJRS and SEISS until September, beyond the April 2021 date mentioned, to address the ongoing economic challenges, highlighting the schemes' success and reach.
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4 Recommendation Accepted
Para 39
The 2019–20 self-assessment income tax returns will provide the Government with additional information that could...
Recommendation
The 2019–20 self-assessment income tax returns will provide the Government with additional information that could allow it to provide support to those who need it but have so far not received it. We therefore strongly urge the Treasury to use … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, announcing that HMRC will use 2019-20 tax returns for the fourth and fifth SEISS grants, potentially allowing over 600,000 newly self-employed individuals to claim support.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Para 48
When responding to this report, the Treasury should provide an assessment of the level of...
Recommendation
When responding to this report, the Treasury should provide an assessment of the level of fraud which it believes would arise from the implementation of the DISS scheme.
Government Response Summary
The government provided a draft assessment indicating that the DISS scheme could have a wide error and fraud range, potentially as high as 20%.
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion Accepted
Para 85
We are disappointed at the lack of analysis provided by the Treasury, despite such analysis...
Conclusion
We are disappointed at the lack of analysis provided by the Treasury, despite such analysis being referenced in the SAGE minutes. Without it, the impression is that the Government is making important decisions without proper regard to all their impacts, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the concern about economic analysis and asserts that it has published a significant amount of analysis on the health, economic, and social impacts of COVID-19, including analysis underpinning the Roadmap out of lockdown, and has commissioned advice from SAGE.
HM Treasury
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16 Recommendation Accepted
Para 86
We call on the Treasury to be more transparent about the economic analysis which it...
Recommendation
We call on the Treasury to be more transparent about the economic analysis which it undertakes to inform Government decisions in the fight against coronavirus and to publish any such analysis in a timely manner. The House should not be … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government claims it has already published a significant amount of analysis on the health, economic, and social impacts of COVID-19 and public health measures, including for the Roadmap, and commissioned advice from SAGE.
HM Treasury
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19 Recommendation Accepted
Para 99
We strongly urge the Treasury to provide rigorous analysis of future policy choices which quantifies...
Recommendation
We strongly urge the Treasury to provide rigorous analysis of future policy choices which quantifies the harms and benefits of each of the plausible range of alternative policies. It has always been considered a good practice to publish an impact … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states it has already taken decisions based on health, economic, and social impacts, studied academic literature, and published significant analysis throughout the pandemic, including for the Roadmap.
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion Accepted
While death rates from coronavirus are high, the rationale for Government decisions on social restrictions...
Conclusion
While death rates from coronavirus are high, the rationale for Government decisions on social restrictions is well understood by the public. As the vaccines roll-out proceeds and death rates fall, Government decisions on whether or not to lift restrictions will … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government asserts that it already makes decisions based on the health, economic, and social impacts of COVID-19, utilizing academic literature and SAGE advice to inform its policies and the Roadmap out of lockdown.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Accepted
Para 106
After almost a year of restrictions on social and economic activity, the general public and...
Conclusion
After almost a year of restrictions on social and economic activity, the general public and the business sector need confidence that the Government has as clear and as certain a route out of the crisis as possible.
Government Response Summary
The government states that since the report, it has published its roadmap for the economy's cautious reopening and announced the Budget, which together aim to provide the necessary security and certainty to the public and businesses.
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22 Recommendation Accepted
Para 107
We recommend that in order to provide some certainty to businesses, as well as to...
Recommendation
We recommend that in order to provide some certainty to businesses, as well as to the general public, the forthcoming Government plan for taking the country out of lockdown should set out criteria of how and when it will lift … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that since the report, it has published its roadmap for reopening the economy, fulfilling the recommendation to provide a plan for lifting restrictions, and also announced the Budget for economic support.
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23 Recommendation Accepted
Para 111
It is vital that economists work together with epidemiologists and health experts to make decisions...
Recommendation
It is vital that economists work together with epidemiologists and health experts to make decisions on social restrictions, and that the output of their work should be made public. We propose that the Government use a more multi-disciplinary approach to … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states it has already taken decisions based on multi-disciplinary factors (health, economic, social) and published significant analysis, including commissioning SAGE advice, to inform its COVID-19 response.
HM Treasury
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