The Science
and Technology Committee has today shared a series of
findings in a letter
written to Prime Minister . The 19 page letter,
which sets out a number of
recommendations to the Government, is based on
evidence heard as part of the Committee's inquiry
into UK science, research and
technology capability and influence in global disease
outbreaks.
Backed by a
cross-party group of MPs, the publication details ten
key lessons the UK Government should learn from
its experience of handling the first months of the
pandemic. Drawing on the evidence of scientists and other
relevant experts from the UK and around the world who have thus
far provided the Committee with a wide range of insights, the
recommendations include:
· The
call for publication of the evidence basis and rationale
informing Public Health England's decision to
concentrate testing in a limited number of its own laboratories
and expand testing capacity gradually, rather than surging
capacity through a large number of available public sector,
research institute, university and private sector laboratories.
The letter states that the decision, which led to
the discontinuation of community testing, is
'one of the most consequential made during [the] crisis' and
urges the Government to learn from its experience in
anticipation of possible vaccine manufacture.
· That
the Government 'urgently' build up capacity for
contact tracing, underlining the importance of contact
tracing in managing the easing of lockdown measures in the UK and
minimising the risk of a second peak of
infections.
· That
the Government set out a clear approach for managing
the risks around asymptomatic transmission of the
disease,
· That further
transparency is needed regarding the provision of
scientific advice, providing clear distinction between scientific
advice and policy decisions. This includes:
o a
call for the now public list of members of the Scientific
Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to be updated regularly,
including with the number of meetings the named
participants attended;
o a
request for the disciplines of SAGE participants who are not
publicly named to be disclosed; and
o recommendations
that papers on which SAGE draws for its advice to be
published promptly after each relevant meeting, as
well as for a summary of the scientific advice which
has informed Government decisions to be
published.
The Committee also
makes a recommendation relating to the systematic
recording of the ethnicity of those dying of
COVID-19, stating that such data may help progress understanding
of the disproportionate number of deaths of those from
BAME backgrounds.
The letter has reached
these conclusions as a result of the inquiry's first six public
evidence sessions. The inquiry, which captures contemporary
evidence on decisions and assessments made by Government during
the pandemic, continues.
Chair of the
Science and Technology Committee, Rt Hon MP,
said:
"The Government
has drawn extensively on scientific advice during the pandemic
and should continue to do so.
“The Government
should follow the best traditions of science in being transparent
about the evidence and advice on which it makes decisions, and by
being willing to continually learn from evidence and experience
and not being afraid to adjust its approach in
response.
“Greater
transparency around scientific advice; putting capacity in place
in advance of need, such as in testing and vaccines; collecting
more data earlier and learning from other countries’ approaches
are some of the early lessons of this pandemic that are relevant
to further decisions that will need to be taken during the weeks
and months ahead.
“We hope the
Government will act on these recommendations which are offered in
a constructive spirit based on the evidence we have taken so
far."
