The Cabinet Office has defended the government’s handling of the pandemic, in its response to the Lords' Constitution Committee’s report on coronavirus (COVID-19) and the use and scrutiny of emergency powers
The Committee made recommendations on parliamentary scrutiny, safeguards, alternative drafting practices, increased clarity and reviewing the emergency legislation. The government said all emergency legislation is kept under consideration and they will schedule the necessary debates as soon as parliamentary time allows.
On the Committee’s recommendation the government set out the rationale for using the urgent procedure under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 in the explanatory memorandum, the Cabinet Office said: ‘No two public health emergencies will be the same, so it is difficult to predict what would be reasonable and proportionate in the event of future disease outbreaks.’
