The Prime Minister has set up new ministerial structures to
coordinate, prioritise and respond to the coronavirus pandemic
across government.
Four new implementation committees focusing on health, public
sector preparedness, economy and international response, will
feed into a new daily C-19 meeting, which will be chaired by the
PM.
The Prime Minister will continue to chair regular UK COBR
meetings to take strategic decisions and review overall progress
in the campaign to contain, delay and mitigate coronavirus. The
additional daily C-19 meeting of key ministers and officials will
monitor progress and refine the measures agreed by COBR. The
chairs of the implementation committees - the Chancellor, the
Health Secretary, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the
Foreign Secretary - will attend the daily C-19 meeting.
The Prime Minister has been clear that countering this pandemic
will require significant national effort from government,
businesses, charities, communities and citizens across the UK.
The implementation committees will regularly meet with key
representatives from relevant sectors to inform their decision
making.
Recognising coronavirus presents unique challenges economically,
internationally and across a wide range of sectors, the four
implementation committees are:
-
Healthcare: Chaired by the Health Secretary to
focus on the preparedness of the NHS, notably ensuring capacity
in the critical care system for those worst affected, the
medical and social package of support for those to whom we will
be providing the new shielding regime.
-
General Public Sector: Chaired by the Chancellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster to look at preparedness across the
rest of the public and critical national infrastructure,
excluding the NHS.
-
Economic and Business: Chaired by the Chancellor,
with the Business Secretary as deputy chair, to consider
economic and business impact and response, including supply
chain resilience. It will also coordinate roundtables with key
sectors to be chaired by relevant Secretaries of State.
-
International: Chaired by the Foreign Secretary,
to consider our international response to the crisis through
the G7, G20 and other mechanisms, including like-minded groups,
and the UK five-point plan.
Civil servants and the UK’s leading experts will continue to
support the government’s efforts and contribute to our approach,
which is led by the best scientific advice.
Notes to editors :
The first meeting of the Economic and Business
Committee took place yesterday (16 March).
Membership includes the Culture Secretary, Trade Secretary,
Transport Secretary, Work and Pensions Secretary, Communities
Secretary, with the Environment Secretary and Secretaries of
State for Territorial Offices attending where appropriate. The
Devolved Administrations will also be invited to attend where
necessary.
The Secretaries of State will hold sector specific roundtables
including, but not limited to, aviation, retail, manufacturing,
food, insurance, financial services, sport, entertainment and
events, and tourism and hospitality.
These roundtables will help inform the work of the Committee.
Further detail on the Healthcare, General Public
Sector Committee and International
Committee will be set out in due course.
