The Government response to the pandemic has been the subject of much debate over the last few months. Yesterday in Parliament, the acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey seemed to secure a commitment from the Prime Minister for an eventual independent public inquiry.

Parliamentary Select Committees however have already begun extensive scrutiny, calling for evidence from interested parties. The Consultation Institute has responded to one of these inquiries, making submissions to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, chaired by William Wragg MP.

The Committee’s Inquiry, entitled “Responding to Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Act”, is examining the legislative and policy response of the Government to the crisis, and asking, amongst other things, how the Coronavirus Act and its subsidiary regulations should be best maintained going forward.

The Institute’s submissions (which can be viewed on the PACAC website here) argued that any maintenance of the regulatory framework should be done with engagement and consultation with stakeholders, insofar as this is possible, and the crisis should not be used as a blanket excuse to ignore the views of the public. We detailed the reasons why consultation is necessary and important, from both the legal and good administration viewpoints, and how such engagement might be well done even under the current circumstances.

The Institute will continue to monitor other Select Committees for relevant inquiries to which we may usefully be able to contribute.