UK Inquiry Tracker

Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 7 Sep 2020 Closed: 19 Apr 2021 Parliament page

Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU in 2016, Government Departments had to formulate new policies, procure goods and services, design and implement new systems and engage stakeholders, while planning for multiple potential outcomes and responding to changing deadlines. Departments spent more than £4.4 billion on preparations between 2016 … Read more Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU in 2016, Government Departments had to formulate new policies, procure goods and services, design and implement new systems and engage stakeholders, while planning for multiple potential outcomes and responding to changing deadlines. Departments spent more than £4.4 billion on preparations between 2016 and 31 January 2020 (see also our recent inquiry on the Get Ready for Brexit public information campaign). Ahead of the then 31 October 2019 deadline, more than 22,000 civil servants were involved in EU Exit. The National Audit Office has produced 28 reports examining government’s preparations up to September 2020, and the latest on learning for Government from preparations from EU exit pulls together the insights from breadth of its work on EU Exit to give perspectives on what government can learn from this experience to prepare for the end of the transition period. It also has lessons for other cross-government challenges that have now arisen, such as the demands of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which similarly requires a fast-paced response, innovative policy solutions, coordinated action across government and effective, external transparency and communication; and longer-term challenges like preparing for the transition to a net zero carbon economy, which will require the civil service to innovate and operate in new ways. The report finds Government still has a lot to do to manage the end of the transition period, particularly on preparations for the border. It is now also responding to the demands of a global pandemic, which like EU Exit requires a fast-paced response, coordinated action and effective external transparency and communication. The key findings include: The need for government to improve how it deals with uncertainty by planning for scenarios which will have a significant impact and could reasonably occur, even if some of these may not be the desired outcome. The importance of government developing clear structures for quick decision-making and clear accountability. It should also draw on expertise in implementation from the start as a routine part of policy development, to build a realistic understanding of the scale and complexity of the task. The need to engage early with partners, stakeholders, businesses and individuals to understand and communicate what is required of them. The importance of strong financial management and the need to track spending from the outset. In October the Committee will question senior Cabinet Office officials on Whitehall’s readiness for Britain’s exit from the European Union on December 31 this year, and what it is learning which can be applied to other major, cross-Governmnet, global challenges we now face. If you have evidence on any of the issues raised in this inquiry, please submit it here by Thursday 1 October 2020. Show less

10 Recommendations

17 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

1 Event

Activity timeline 3 events

24 Mar
2021

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty ninth report from Session 2019-21

2 Dec
2020

Report published

Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

8 Oct
2020

Oral evidence

Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

8 Oct 2020

View on parliament.uk

Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office Cat Little · Cabinet Office Emma Churchill · Ministry of Justice Jess Glover · HM Treasury

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall preparations for EU Exit	HC 682	2 Dec 2020	27	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results

14 Conclusion Rejected

Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall pr…

The Treasury has relied on existing departmental processes within the system of Accounting Officer accountability...

The Treasury has relied on existing departmental processes within the system of Accounting Officer accountability to ensure money on EU Exit has been used as expected.37 We do not believe that this is sufficient, given the weaknesses identified by the … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects the implicit recommendation (from the overarching Recommendation 4) for changes to Treasury processes, stating its commitment to continuous improvement and iterative learning, and acknowledging the National Audit Office's review.

HM Treasury

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16 Conclusion Rejected

Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall pr…

At the peak, more than 22,000 civil servants worked on EU Exit, and at present...

At the peak, more than 22,000 civil servants worked on EU Exit, and at present the Cabinet Office reports that the number is around 15,000.43 The civil service responded to this demand by moving staff between departments. In particular two … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects the overarching recommendation (Recommendation 4) for a formal review of EU Exit preparations, stating it is committed to continuous improvement and that the National Audit Office has already conducted an extensive review.

HM Treasury

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17 Conclusion Rejected

Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall pr…

There has been high turnover among staff working on EU Exit, particularly at senior levels.

There has been high turnover among staff working on EU Exit, particularly at senior levels. DExEU has had three Permanent Secretaries, the Border Delivery Group has had three Director-Generals, and there have been changes at Permanent Secretary grade in key … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects the overarching recommendation (Recommendation 4) for a formal review, arguing it is committed to continuous improvement, has engaged in iterative learning, and that the National Audit Office has already conducted an extensive review.

HM Treasury

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18 Recommendation Rejected

Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall pr…

Demands on the civil servants working on the Covid-19 pandemic response and/or EU Exit have...

Demands on the civil servants working on the Covid-19 pandemic response and/or EU Exit have been high at a time when many are having to adjust to new ways of remote working.48 The Cabinet Office believes that morale across staff … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the recommendation and refers to its response for recommendation 4, indicating a rejection of the implicit suggestion to consider staff resilience impacts.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 25 of 10 classified

Accepted 13

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 2

Not Addressed 5

Rejected 4

Total 10 recs + 17 conclusions