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 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 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 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 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 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.