Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Cross-Government Communications: Covid-19

Thursday 1 October 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department evaluates the effectiveness of Government communications regarding COVID-19.
  • The Minister expressed interest in hearing specific examples of inconsistent government messaging.
  • The Paymaster General committed to addressing concerns about travel restrictions and cross-Government discussions.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
NHS
Context

The MP is concerned about the effectiveness and clarity of Government communications during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of cross-Government communications during the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from Penny Mordaunt

We evaluate the effectiveness of Government communications. We constantly monitor and gain insights on public awareness and compliance from regular evaluations. This question affords me the opportunity to pay tribute to the Central Office of Information for its work not just on covid-19, but in preparation for the end of the transition period.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific assessment asked about was not provided; instead, a general statement about monitoring and evaluation was given.

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Q2 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The MP highlights a discrepancy between public messaging and the directives given to civil servants regarding working from home, as reported by the Public and Commercial Services Union.

Question

I thank the Minister for that answer. The Cabinet Secretary said that consistency commands confidence. We all heard the Prime Minister last week on TV telling us to work from home again where possible to slow down the second wave of coronavirus. However, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union, civil servants, who have managed stoically, even heroically, during the crisis to keep the machinery of state running while mainly working from home, have now been instructed to return to their offices in order for the Departments to hit arbitrary and outdated Cabinet Office targets. The Government are saying one thing to the country and something entirely different to their workforce. Can the Minister correct this anomaly?

Answer from Penny Mordaunt

I would be very interested to hear whether the hon. Gentleman has examples of that. As far as I am aware, there are certain areas of government that do require people to come in to work. For example, some of the things that the Cabinet Office deals with have to be done in a secure environment, but we are following the same rules and guidelines that the rest of the UK workforce are. If he has specific examples that he wants me to look at, please send them to me.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address whether there was a discrepancy between public messaging and civil servant instructions; instead requested examples for further investigation.

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Q3 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Wales
Context

The First Minister of Wales has expressed concern about the lack of engagement from the Prime Minister in cross-Government discussions. The MP raises a specific point regarding travel restrictions affecting holiday plans.

Question

Genuine concern has been expressed by the First Minister of Wales about the lack of engagement from the Prime Minister in terms of cross-Government discussions. May I raise a specific point with the Paymaster General? In England, people in restricted areas are able to travel into Wales to go on holiday. In Wales, people in a restricted area, such as in my constituency, are not allowed to travel to go on holiday. This has been asked of the Health Secretary and the Prime Minister this week. Could the Paymaster General, or indeed the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, urge the Prime Minister to say to people living in England, “If you are in a restricted area, please don't go on holiday, please don't travel into Wales, please don't spread the virus”?

Answer from Penny Mordaunt

I will certainly take that up on the hon. Gentleman's behalf. One of the benefits of the four nations working together is that we try to have as much consistency as possible and anticipate the impact of one set of rules on others, particularly communities living near the borders. I will follow that up for him and be in touch.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to urging the Prime Minister directly but offered to follow up on the matter.

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Q4 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
Context

The MP is concerned about the clarity and consistency of government communication this week, including reports that mask-wearing compliance has decreased.

Question

Government communications this week have been quite shambolic. My constituents have been writing to me to ask for more clear messaging. The Cabinet Office has spent more than £50 million on untendered contracts for media and consultancies, yet Ministers have found it hard to explain local measures this week. It has been reported that mask wearing in shops is going down instead of up, in contradiction to communications, and more people have been told to get the flu jab yet cannot get one. How are members of the public expected to understand and keep up with the changes if Ministers cannot?

Answer from Penny Mordaunt

I fully recognise that the rules have got more complex—were Matt Lucas recreating the “Baked Potato Song” now, he would have to write an opera. They are more complex because we have regional and local lockdowns, as opposed to a blanket lockdown, and I think that is what the nation wants: we want to keep our economy going and to give people as much freedom as we possibly can, while fighting this virus. By and large, although the public are fed up, they are following the rules and they are working together, with collective responsibility, to beat this virus. All Members of this House can help to deliver the messages by putting them on their Twitter feeds and by communicating them. Only by working together are we going to defeat this virus.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address how communications could be clearer or more consistent; instead provided a justification for complex rules.

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