The Government is reviewing whether COVID-status certification could play a role in reopening our economy, reducing restrictions on social contact and improving safety. Through tis call for evidence the Government will assess to what extent certification would be effective in reducing risk, and its potential uses in enabling access to settings or relaxing COVID-secure mitigations.
In the first stage of its economic impact of the coronavirus inquiry, the Committee issued a call for evidence on the speed, effectiveness and reach of the Government’s and Bank of England’s immediate financial responses to coronavirus. The Committee highlighted gaps in support to the Treasury.
In the second stage, the Committee examined the impact on the economy and different sectors, the implications for public finances, and how the Government can work towards a sustained recovery.
The Committee will examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market and consider what urgent measures should be taken to protect and create jobs. It will also examine how the labour market may change as a result of the pandemic in the longer term. The Committee intends to make recommendations to the Government.
This inquiry will examine the tax system following the reconstruction of the economy after the unprecedented economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis.
It will look at what the major long-term pressures on the UK tax system are, what more the UK can do to protect its tax base from globalisation and technological change, and whether such pressures should be met with tax reform.
The inquiry will examine the long-term consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak on the future of the high street. It is interested in how government, at all levels, can mitigate the economic and social impact and develop policies to ensure high streets remain the centre of local communities. The Committee will look at the impact of existing measures to support the high street, including the business rate holiday, as well as the broader role of taxation in enabling high street businesses to remain viable.
This call for evidence will support the government’s decision making on the best way to withdraw or replace these measures while preserving tenant businesses and the millions of jobs that they support.
If there is evidence that productive discussions between landlords and tenants are not taking place, and that this represents a substantial and ongoing threat to jobs and livelihoods, the government will not hesitate to intervene further.
The measures which are the subject of this call for evidence are:
The Government’s objective is to gather more evidence to understand how landlords and tenants are responding to the build-up of rent arrears that has occurred as a result of businesses being unable to trade normally during the pandemic. This will inform a better understanding of the risk to economic recovery posed by remaining rent debts, and to understand how landlords and tenants are adjusting existing lease terms to reflect the period of recovery that many tenant businesses will need once the trading restrictions are lifted.
The Committee will examine how the Government can reduce and mitigate economic scarring and job losses after the pandemic, how much difference the Government can make to economic growth, and what has caused the UK’s productivity growth to be persistently weak.
It will also examine macroeconomic policy, looking at whether the Bank of England’s inflation target is fit for purpose, if the Monetary Policy Committee has effective tools to stimulate the economy when interest rates are low, and whether a return of inflation is a risk to the economic recovery.
The Welsh Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the economic consequences for Wales of Covid-19, and the support that will be required to support the Welsh economy both during the pandemic and the rebuilding period that will follow.
The Committee today is enquiring into food supply during the Coronavirus pandemic, including access to healthy food during periods of self-isolation, and how disruptions in the food supply chain should be managed. The Committee will initially identify current problems and strategies for mitigating potential risks.
