Twenty-Ninth Report - Whitehall preparations for EU Exit

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 682 2 December 2020
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 27 items (10 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 25 of 27 classified)
Accepted 13
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 2
Not Addressed 5
Rejected 4
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty ninth report from Session 2019-21 · published 24 Mar 2021
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Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results
14 Conclusion Rejected
The Treasury has relied on existing departmental processes within the system of Accounting Officer accountability...
Conclusion
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 Summary
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
At the peak, more than 22,000 civil servants worked on EU Exit, and at present...
Conclusion
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 Summary
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
There has been high turnover among staff working on EU Exit, particularly at senior levels.
Conclusion
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 Summary
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
Demands on the civil servants working on the Covid-19 pandemic response and/or EU Exit have...
Recommendation
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 Summary
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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