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
7 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
27 May
2022
Report published
23 Mar
2022
Report published
31 Jan
2022
Correspondence
31 Jan
2022
Correspondence
12 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
12 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
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
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pand… HC 952 23 Mar 2022 22 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
7 results
Clear
10 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government will address laboratory safety and security as part of the forthcoming Biological Security Strategy.
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government will consider whether to include guidance on external communications in the terms of reference for expert advisory groups.
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government is working to build on the UK’s existing international collaborations, plays an active role in multilateral fora, and continues to promote rapid intelligence sharing.
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
Government will consider strengthening domestic collaboration on risks in the development of the Resilience Strategy.
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government recognizes that it lacked detailed plans for several aspects of the response to COVID-19 and will draw on the lessons learned to strengthen future planning, including considering how to ensure that government can reinstate economic support schemes at short notice without implementation issues.
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government recognizes that it did not anticipate a disease with asymptomatic transmission which required an extended lockdown and will draw on lessons learned to strengthen future planning.
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion Acknowledged
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
Government Response
The government recognises the potential large-scale economic impact of a public health emergency requiring lockdowns and self-isolation and will draw on the lessons learned from the pandemic response to strengthen future planning.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 21 of 7 classified
Accepted 13
Acknowledged 7
Not Addressed 1
Total 7 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
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
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