Forty-Sixth Report Government preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk
Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee
HC 952
23 March 2022
Government Response (AI assessment · 21 of 22 classified)
Accepted
13
Recommendations
1 results
11
Acknowledged
We raised the question of whether individual members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies...
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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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Conclusions (6) Observations and findings — click to expand
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 hindered public discussion on balancing the benefits of scientific research …
Government Response Summary
The government will address laboratory safety and security as part of the forthcoming Biological Security Strategy.
12
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 Bay Declaration, issued in July 2021, which commits G7 countries …
Government Response Summary
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.
14
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 to comply with resilience standards, and enhancing its communication to …
Government Response Summary
Government will consider strengthening domestic collaboration on risks in the development of the Resilience Strategy.
15
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 issues concerning the early childhood education and care sector arising …
Government Response Summary
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.
16
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 was not unprecedented. The early spread of HIV, too, was …
Government Response Summary
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.
18
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 is unclear whether government would be able to reinstate the …
Government Response Summary
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.