Government preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for government on risk

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Nov 2021 Closed: 27 May 2022 Parliament page
In July 2020 the PAC made its first report on the UK Government’s broad, initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying there had been an “astonishing” failure to plan appropriately especially in relation to the national economy , where it was revealed in evidence to the Committee that there had … Read more
8 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
27 May
2022
Report published
23 Mar
2022
Report published
31 Jan
2022
Correspondence
31 Jan
2022
Correspondence
12 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
12 Jan 2022
View on parliament.uk
Government preparedness for the COVID:19 Pandemic: Lessons for government on risk
Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office Clara Swinson · Department for Health and Social Care Roger Hargreaves · Cabinet Office Sir Chris Wormald · Department of Health and Social Care
Recommendations & Conclusions
22 results
2 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The pandemic has demonstrated variability in departments’ risk management.
The pandemic has demonstrated variability in departments’ risk management. A recent cross-government review of risk management by the Government Internal Audit Agency highlighted significant variability across departments, including the 6 Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on … Read more
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3 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
There would be significant benefits in improving the public’s awareness of the main risks facing...
There would be significant benefits in improving the public’s awareness of the main risks facing the country and what government is doing about them. The public and Parliament have limited awareness of the main risks facing the country and of … Read more
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4 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of international collaboration for managing the risks that...
The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of international collaboration for managing the risks that the UK faces. Given the increasingly interconnected nature of our world, several of the main risks facing the UK may originate abroad and, if they … Read more
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5 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
Government would have been better prepared for COVID-19 if it had applied learning from previous...
Government would have been better prepared for COVID-19 if it had applied learning from previous incidents and exercises. Government was unprepared for a pandemic with widespread asymptomatic transmission, but this was not unprecedented. The early spread of HIV, too, was … Read more
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6 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this...
Government’s slow progress in improving data quality and completeness has hampered its preparedness for this and future pandemics. We have repeatedly highlighted longstanding issues with the quality of data held by government and with its ability to use data effectively … Read more
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health & Social Care (the Department) on the government’s preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic.1
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7 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The three lines of defence model of risk management, widely used in the private sector,...
The three lines of defence model of risk management, widely used in the private sector, sets out what the Orange Book characterises as a “simple and effective way to help delegate and coordinate risk management roles and responsibilities within and … Read more
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The NAO found that, before the pandemic, departments lacked an agreed understanding of risk tolerance,...
The NAO found that, before the pandemic, departments lacked an agreed understanding of risk tolerance, such as which consequences of a pandemic they deemed acceptable and which consequences they needed to mitigate. The Cabinet Office agreed that government reached a … Read more
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9 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The National Security Risk Assessment, which sets out government’s assessment of the main risks facing...
The National Security Risk Assessment, which sets out government’s assessment of the main risks facing the UK and its interests overseas, is classified. Government has published a summary of this assessment and of the mitigations it has put in place … Read more
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10 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
It was reported in September 2021 that the Health and Safety Executive had been notified...
It was reported in September 2021 that the Health and Safety Executive had been notified of 103 instances of serious laboratory leaks, including nine in the most secure level-4 laboratories.15 Lack of transparency to the public about these leaks has … Read more
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
We raised the question of whether individual members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies...
We raised the question of whether individual members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) should be allowed to make public statements that are inconsistent with the collective messaging of the Group. When asked if refraining from making such … Read more
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12 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The Cabinet Office acknowledged the need for international co-operation to assess threats, manage risks and...
The Cabinet Office acknowledged the need for international co-operation to assess threats, manage risks and share information. As examples of the UK’s engagement, they mentioned work carried out with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in response to Ebola; the Carbis … Read more
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13 Recommendation
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The Cabinet Office recognised that the UK needs to further strengthen international cooperation and noted...
The Cabinet Office recognised that the UK needs to further strengthen international cooperation and noted that this will be a central feature of the UK resilience strategy. The Department stated that the UK is seeking a new pandemic treaty through … Read more
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14 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
Alongside greater international cooperation, the Cabinet Office noted the need to strengthen domestic collaboration on...
Alongside greater international cooperation, the Cabinet Office noted the need to strengthen domestic collaboration on risks, especially with the private sector. The Cabinet Office stated that government is considering requiring regulated companies and those that have significant dealings with government … Read more
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15 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
Government lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19, including financial support...
Government lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19, including financial support to local authorities, identifying a large population advised to shield, and economic support schemes.23 A submission we received from an academic research group studying the … Read more
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16 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The Cabinet Office attributed the absence of detailed planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 to...
The Cabinet Office attributed the absence of detailed planning for a pandemic like COVID-19 to the fact that they did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown.26 Yet, a large-scale infection with widespread asymptomatic transmission … Read more
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17 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
While government took action following major pandemic simulation exercises such as Cygnus and Winter Willow,...
While government took action following major pandemic simulation exercises such as Cygnus and Winter Willow, it did not act upon some of the warnings about the UK’s lack of preparedness from these simulations. For instance, at the outset of the … Read more
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18 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency...
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency requiring lockdowns and self-isolation. Yet, a submission that we received from academics working on lessons from loans to support businesses through Coronavirus noted that it … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
We have repeatedly highlighted longstanding issues with the quality of data held by government and...
We have repeatedly highlighted longstanding issues with the quality of data held by government and with its ability to use data effectively to support policy interventions. Our 2019 report Challenges in using data across government noted the lack of government-wide … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
Insufficient progress made on data issues over the years has hindered government’s initial pandemic response.
Insufficient progress made on data issues over the years has hindered government’s initial pandemic response. For instance, local government initially lacked access to information from NHS Test and Trace that they needed to deliver their local pandemic response.34 A submission … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The Cabinet Office noted that, in 2021, government set up a National Situation Centre which...
The Cabinet Office noted that, in 2021, government set up a National Situation Centre which will provide real-time access to data government needs to respond to the emergencies set out in the National Security Risk Assessment. The Cabinet Office hopes … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion
Forty-Sixth Report Government prep…
The Department stated that, while government’s access to data from the social care system has...
The Department stated that, while government’s access to data from the social care system has greatly improved during the pandemic, it is likely that this access will be somewhat scaled down as the emergency subsides. It told us that this … Read more
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Correspondence 2 letters
31 Jan 2022 Joint correspondence from Sir Patrick Vallance, UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser National Technology Adviser, Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession and Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Social Care, re Government preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic Lessons for government on risk, dated 27 January 2022
Parliament page
31 Jan 2022 Correspondence from Sir Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care, re Government preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic Lessons for government on risk, dated 27 January 2022
Parliament page