Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

The government states it has accepted and implemented the recommendation, detailing its multi-pronged approach including a national Public Information Campaign, GOV.UK tools, and intensive business engagement, along with the recent establishment of the Brexit Business Task Force.

The government rejects the recommendation to assess the impact of cross-government working on civil servants. However, it accepts the recommendation to reduce reliance on consultants, establishing a programme with a March 2021 target date to reform engagement and build in-house capability via a new Government Consulting Hub.

The government's response details revisions to contract management structures and operating procedures, and improvements in information capture and sharing. This response does not address the recommendation for the Cabinet Office to conduct a formal review of EU Exit preparations.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, describing existing scenario-based exercises and the enhancement of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat with a new multi-agency Command, Control and Coordination (C3) system from December 2020 to improve cross-government response capacity.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented. HM Treasury has established a dedicated central team to track COVID-19 and EU Exit funding, is upgrading its OSCAR system for spending data, and has adapted and improved accounting and performance reporting guidance for departments to provide clearer, more consistent information on cross-government spending.

The government acknowledges the committee's introductory statement by reiterating the context of the report, including the evidence taken and the report's publication date.

The government details how it applies lessons learned from EU Exit and other reports, such as using an enhanced communications approach and developing a comprehensive system for measuring campaign impact, which aligns with the continuous improvement noted by the committee.

The government agrees and states its recommendation is implemented, outlining how it already ensures robust contingency planning through regular scenario-based exercises, systematic risk assessment by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and the upcoming enhanced multi-agency Command, Control and Coordination (C3) system to address disruptive challenges holistically.

The government agrees with the committee's observations and states the recommendation is implemented, highlighting its regular scenario-based exercises and the work of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS). It also commits to supplementing the CCS with an enhanced multi-agency Command, Control and Coordination (C3) system from December 2020.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, detailing its ongoing systematic risk assessment, regular scenario-based exercises, and the establishment of an enhanced multi-agency Command, Control and Coordination (C3) system from December 2020 to ensure holistic risk management across government.

The government states it disagrees with this recommendation, discussing its commitment to continuous improvement and lessons learned from EU Exit for resourcing, and explicitly stating it is not proposing a formal review of all preparations. This response does not address the conclusion's points about the tracking and consolidation of EU Exit spending figures.

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.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, detailing actions such as establishing a dedicated central team to track COVID-19 and EU Exit funding, providing updates to the Committee, upgrading the OSCAR system, and improving cross-government accounting guidance for better financial transparency.

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.

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.

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.

The government agrees with the need to address consultant spending and has established a programme with a target implementation date of March 2021. This programme includes creating a Government Consulting Hub, reforming controls, improving data, developing a consultancy standard, and addressing workforce capability to reduce reliance on consultants.

The government agrees with the recommendation to reduce spending on consultants and contractors, outlining a programme that includes establishing a Government Consulting Hub by early 2021, reforming central controls, improving data quality, developing a new consultancy standard, and tackling capacity and capability drivers.

The government states it agrees and is already implementing this, detailing its three-fold approach of public information campaigns, GOV.UK tools, and intensive business engagement. It confirms that the current campaign tracks actions taken, not just awareness, through independent surveys and established a Brexit Business Task Force in December 2020.

The government agrees and outlines its extensive preparedness efforts, including public information campaigns, GOV.UK tools, and business engagement events. It states that the current campaign uses independent surveys and ONS data to track intent and actions taken, providing information on readiness, and that engagement was intensified with the Brexit Business Task Force in December 2020.

The government agrees with the recommendation to ensure tools are in place to support individuals and businesses beyond the transition period but provides no specific details or commitments on how this support will be extended.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, outlining its ongoing public information campaigns, GOV.UK tools, and intensive business engagement, including the establishment of the Brexit Business Task Force in December 2020, all aimed at communicating new requirements to businesses.

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, outlining its public information campaigns, GOV.UK tools, and business engagement. However, the response does not specifically address the concern about the lack of detailed guidance on simplified customs procedures or the tight timetables for the new border systems (GVMS and Check an HGV).

The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, detailing its public information campaigns, GOV.UK tools, and business engagement, including the establishment of the Brexit Business Task Force. However, the response completely fails to address the specific concern about the insufficient expansion of the customs agent market.

The government response, while stating agreement and implementation, focuses on general communication and business engagement strategies (Public Information Campaign, GOV.UK, Brexit Business Task Force) rather than directly addressing the specific points raised in the committee's conclusion regarding prioritisation of goods, freight capacity, the border impact centre, or the Kent infrastructure development.