Appendix 3: List of recommendations

Appendix 3: List of recommendations

Chapter 9: Scientific and technical advice

Recommendation 1: Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland

¶The Department of Health (Northern Ireland) should reconstitute the role of the Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland as an independent advisory role. The Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland should not have managerial responsibilities within the Department of Health (Northern Ireland).

Recommendation 2: Attendance of the devolved administrations at SAGE meetings

¶The Government Office for Science (GO-Science) should invite the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to nominate a small number of representatives to attend meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) from the outset of any future emergency. The status of those representatives as either 'participant' or 'observer' should depend upon their expertise and should be a matter for SAGE to determine.

Recommendation 3: Register of experts

¶The Government Office for Science (GO-Science) should develop and maintain a register of experts across the four nations of the UK who would be willing to participate in scientific advisory groups, covering a broad range of potential civil emergencies. The register should be regularly refreshed through open calls for applications.

Recommendation 4: Publication of technical advice

¶During a whole-system civil emergency, the UK government and devolved administrations should each routinely publish technical advice on scientific, economic and social matters at the earliest opportunity, as well as the minutes of expert advisory groups – except where there are good reasons that prevent publication, such as commercial confidentiality, personal safety or national security, or because legal advice privilege applies.

Recommendation 5: Support to participants in advisory groups

¶The Government Office for Science (GO-Science), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) should each develop standard terms of appointment for all participants in scientific advisory groups. These terms should include:

¶
• clarity around the nature of an individual's role and the extent of their responsibility, as well as the likely time commitment;
• payment where their time commitment means that they have to spend time away from their substantive role;
• access to support services; and
• access to advice on personal and online security, with procedures for escalating specific concerns.

Chapter 10: Vulnerabilities and inequalities

Recommendation 6: Implementing a socio-economic duty

¶The UK government should bring into force in England section 1 of the Equality Act 2010, implementing the socio-economic duty. The Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive should consider an equivalent provision within section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Recommendation 7: Placing child rights impact assessments on a statutory footing

¶The UK government should introduce legislation to place child rights impact assessments on a statutory footing in England. The Northern Ireland Executive should consider an equivalent provision.

Recommendation 8: A framework for considering those at risk in an emergency

¶The UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive should each agree a framework that identifies people who would be most at risk of becoming infected by and dying from a disease and those who are most likely to be negatively impacted by any steps taken to respond to a future pandemic. The framework should set out the specific steps that could be taken to mitigate the risks to these people. Equality impact assessments should form part of this framework. Where they cannot be undertaken in a national crisis, they should be reinstated as soon as possible. Each government should agree and publish in its response to this Report how it will ensure that this framework is embedded into emergency decision-making and who will be responsible for ensuring these issues remain under consideration throughout a national crisis.