Government’s use of Covid laws criticised by MPs

A new report today calls for more detail on the timetable for the UK Covid-19 inquiry which should examine the impact of the Coronavirus Act

The cross-party Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee reveal “concerns” about Parliament’s lack of ability to scrutinise and amend emergency provisions in the Coronavirus Act over the last two years, and draw out the lessons that can be learned in legislating for future emergencies, in a new analysis published today.

The Committee criticises the “take it or leave it” nature of the six-monthly votes to renew the Act which meant MPs were unable to object to individual powers and voting down the Act was the “only option”. The report also says the Government should not have issued guidance for Covid-19 restrictions which overrules legislation as it avoids parliamentary scrutiny and leads to confusion amongst the public and law enforcement.

MPs recommend that the “necessity and proportionality” of each of the powers in the Coronavirus Act be assessed as part of the UK Covid-19 inquiry. The report calls on the Government to provide more detail on the timetable for the public inquiry, stressing it should be done in a “timely manner” to “avoid institutional knowledge being lost”.

The report finds that the draft Pandemic Flu Bill, which the Coronavirus Act was based on, was never made public and received no scrutiny. MPs recommend new draft legislation be drawn up in preparation for future emergencies and given to Parliament to scrutinise ahead of use.