1. Lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak
Number of committee staff who gave a rating of 4 or 5 for how important research evidence in that the topic area was likely to be for future scrutiny: 19
Average rating out of 5: 3.96 (±1.09)1
Research questions in this area include:
1.1. How possible is it to apply the lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak to other pandemics, other public health risks (such as biological or chemical weapons) or other hazards or threats (such as natural disasters or acts of terrorism)?
1.2. How should the UK apply the lessons learned from this pandemic to develop a strategy for future natural disasters? How should national risk assessments be altered?
1.3. How can the UK Government identify ‘what works’ in their responses to the COVID-19 outbreak? What long-term follow-ups are needed to scrutinise the Government’s response?
1.4. What data need to be collected in order to understand the full economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak?
1.5. What disaster risk reduction strategies have been most effective during the COVID-19 outbreak?
1.6. What have been the most successful measures to reduce transmission? How widely do measures need to be adhered to in order to be effective?
1.7. Have the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and Public Health (Control of Disease) Act (1984) been used effectively during the COVID-19 outbreak? What amendments or additional legislation would have permitted more effective Government responses? What has the COVID-19 outbreak revealed about the availability and/or appropriateness of emergency powers and their oversight?
1.8. What strategies could have been in place to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak? What organisations could have had greater powers to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak?
1.9. What would have been the optimum time for Government responses to have happened? What factors influenced the speed of responses and how can optimum timeliness be achieved in the future?
1.10. How effective were structures for joint working between UK Government and the devolved administrations in the UK’s COVID-19 response? What would make joint working more effective in the event of future public health crises?
1.11. How should approaches to data modelling and decision-making be changed following lessons learned in the COVID-19 outbreak?
1.12. Have Local Authorities been following their pandemic plans during the COVID-19 outbreak? How should Local Authorities change their pandemic plans in the future?
1.13. How effective are scenario-planning exercises? How can they be made more effective? How many lessons learned from scenario planning exercises were applied during the COVID-19 outbreak?
1.14. What are the benefits and risks of pandemic planning based on specific threats/pathogens (such as influenza)? What are the benefits and risks of pandemic planning based on general threats? What has been learned from the UK’s previous focus on preparing for an influenza pandemic?
1.15. How is the COVID-19 outbreak likely to affect research priorities and research funding? What are the risks of focusing research on COVID-19?
1.16. How has manufacturing capacity in the UK affected its ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? How should manufacturing capacity in the UK change in the future to improve preparedness for other public health crises?
1.17. What positive changes have happened as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak? How can these positive changes be upheld in the long-term?
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2. National and international preparedness for future pandemics
Number of committee staff who gave a rating of 4 or 5 for how important research evidence in that the topic area was likely to be for future scrutiny: 17
Average rating out of 5: 3.72 (±1.10)
Research questions in this area include:
2.1. How prepared is the UK for subsequent waves of the COVID-19 outbreak? How can the likelihood of subsequent waves be lowered? What long-term changes will be required to keep transmission low?
2.2. How much medical equipment (including ventilators, personal protective equipment and medication) has been used during the COVID-19 outbreak? What are the predictions for how much might be needed in future pandemics? How much should be set aside to prepare for future pandemics? How should this be stored and monitored?
2.3. What non-medical equipment and resources (such as raw materials or non-perishable food items) are needed in the UK to prepare for future pandemics, especially in the case of disrupted global supply chains?
2.4. How should the behaviour of the UK population change to prevent future pandemics (for example, hand washing practices, mask-wearing or continued social distancing)? How can these behaviours be encouraged?
2.5. What role has the UK’s housing density had on transmission of the virus? How could the UK change housing in the future to reduce transmission rates?
2.6. What changes to existing infrastructure, urban planning and building regulations can help reduce transmission rates? What will be the likely trade-offs of these changes (such as the resulting environmental or social effects)?
2.7. How well did the UK deal with excess deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak? How can the UK prepare its infrastructure to meet an unexpected rise in deaths in the future?
2.8. How effective was public health surveillance (such as testing) in the UK and globally? How could public health surveillance be improved? What have different national approaches shown about the advantages/disadvantages of having decentralised or centralised systems?
2.9. How will the rise in antimicrobial resistance affect responses to future pandemics? How can this effect be mitigated?
2.10. How can planning for pandemics best take into account multiple potential impacts, including the likely impacts of any mitigation measures? How can these effects be built into planning models? How should different categories of impact be weighted when determining emergency responses?
2.11. How well was knowledge shared internationally during the COVID-19 outbreak? How and when did states make decisions about their responses to the pandemic?
2.12. How could the UK cooperate with other nations to improve global preparedness for future pandemics? How could an international preparedness plan be created and enforced?
2.13. How could the UK cooperate bilaterally or regionally with other nations in the immediate public health response to future pandemics? What role could multilateral or plurilateral agreements have in ensuring reliable supplies of medical equipment for future crises? Are existing diplomatic channels effective for coordinating international public health responses? What are the likely future changes to international diplomacy resulting from COVID-19?
2.14. What will the role of international agencies (such as the World Health Organization) be in the future? How could global responses be coordinated in their absence?
2.15. How effective was global disease surveillance in identifying the threat of COVID-19? How can surveillance infrastructure be improved in the future? What surveillance and monitoring systems are needed to improve prediction systems for future pandemics?
2.16. How can spillover events (when a disease moves from animals to humans) be identified more quickly in the future? How can the likelihood of spillover events be reduced globally?
2.17. What is the UK’s current level of domestic research expertise relating to major pandemic threats? Would the UK’s level of research expertise meet the demands of any future pandemics? What are the most effective mechanisms for expertise to feed into assessing the risk/impacts of future crises and to shape UK Government responses to crises? What are the most effective strategies for experts to communicate their expertise to policy-makers?
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3. Economic recovery and growth
Number of committee staff who gave a rating of 4 or 5 for how important research evidence in that the topic area was likely to be for future scrutiny: 17
Average rating out of 5: 3.45 (±1.46)
Research questions in this area include:
3.1. What have been the economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak? How can the economic impact caused by Government interventions (such as closing non-essential shops or imposing travel restrictions) be separated by those caused by voluntary reductions in movement and spending by the population? What have different measures take globally indicated about the different impacts of Government interventions and voluntary population responses? What are the predictions for the long-term economic impacts? How are interest rates, inflation and exchange rates likely to change in the future?
3.2. What are the likely long-term impacts on inequalities in the event of a recession? How can the UK Government ensure that economic recovery reduces inequalities in the future?
3.3. What are the predictions for the length and extent of economic recovery? What factors are likely to accelerate or inhibit economic recovery and economic growth?
3.4. What is the overall cost of the UK Government’s economic stimulus package? How effective has it been at preventing economic contraction? What is the least economically damaging way to cover the cost of the package?
3.5. What would be the most effective way for the UK Shared Prosperity fund to be used to help with economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak?
3.6. What historical monetary and fiscal policies have been successful in economic recovery and how/when should these be applied following the COVID-19 outbreak?
3.7. What can 2020 investment trends tell us about impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak?
3.8. How have levels of corporate fraud and corruption been measured during the COVID-19 outbreak? What effect has fraud and corruption had on the economy? What is the most effective way to combat corporate fraud and corruption during a global crisis?
3.9. What indicators for recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak should be considered besides GDP? Is there likely to be an international move towards different indicators, such as those measuring wellbeing?
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4. Social, economic and health inequalities
Number of committee staff who gave a rating of 4 or 5 for how important research evidence in that the topic area was likely to be for future scrutiny: 15
Average rating out of 5: 3.69 (±1.10)
Research questions in this area include:
4.1. How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected social inequalities and how will this change in the future? Which groups (such as those with protected characteristics or those identified as vulnerable) are more likely to have experienced loneliness or social isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak? Which groups have had greater caring responsibilities during the COVID-19 outbreak? Which groups have been at greater risk of domestic abuse or death by murder or suicide during this period?
4.2. How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected economic inequalities and how will this change in the future? Which groups (such as those with protected characteristics or those identified as vulnerable) are more likely to have experienced loss of employment or income? Which groups are more likely to have been furloughed? Which groups are more likely to have been working reduced hours?
4.3. How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected health inequalities and how will this change in the future? Which groups (such as those with protected characteristics or those identified as vulnerable) are more likely to have caught the virus or have died from COVID-19? Which groups will experience long-term health effects from COVID-19? How has access to healthcare or treatment plans differed between groups during the COVID-19 outbreak?
4.4. Have there been regional disparities in the number of COVID-19 cases and outcomes? What are the causes of these regional disparities and how can regional inequalities be reduced in the future?
4.5. What are the death rates for people with disabilities or pre-existing medical conditions? What have been the economic, social and health effects on people who have been asked to shield during the COVID-19 outbreak?
4.6. Have medical treatment decisions and social care assessments met the requirements of the Equality Act and human rights legislation during the COVID-19 outbreak?
4.7. Has there been a rise in hate speech, racism or discrimination during the COVID-19 outbreak? How can the UK Government respond to these most effectively?
4.8. What have been the effects of low quality or overcrowded housing in the COVID-19 pandemic?
4.9. How much temporary accommodation (including for homeless individuals or travellers) has been provided during the COVID-19 outbreak and how much did this cost? How has temporary accommodation affected the health and wellbeing of those to whom it was provided? What are the likely impacts of ending temporary accommodation arrangements?
4.10. What effect has the COVID-19 outbreak had on the use of forced labour in the UK (including modern slavery and human trafficking)?
4.11. What have been the health impacts for people in UK prisons and detention centres? What measures have been most effective in reducing transmission in these situations?
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5. Changes to viability and functioning of businesses
Number of Committee staff who gave a rating of 4 or 5 for how important research evidence in that the topic area was likely to be for future scrutiny: 16
Average rating out of 5: 3.41 (±1.40)
Research questions in this area include:
5.1. Which sectors and size of business has the COVID-19 outbreak had the greatest impact on? What specific support can be offered to those businesses in the long-term? What ongoing support could be offered to all UK businesses in the long-term?
5.2. What are the likely long-term changes to consumer behaviour? How will these affect business revenue? Which businesses are likely to be most affected by changes in consumer behaviour?
5.3. How much do cost pressures, perceived changes in future demand, uncertainty and other factors each contribute to falls in business investment? How have these factors interacted during the COVID-19 outbreak?
5.4. What could be the economic impact of multiple businesses filing for bankruptcy or going through corporate refinancing simultaneously?
5.5. How will businesses move away from crisis mode? How can they be encouraged to invest and grow?
5.6. What role are research, development and entrepreneurship likely to play in economic recovery? How can these best be encouraged?
5.7. How can the transport sector remain viable if there are long-term changes to working styles and consumer behaviour? How would investment in transport and infrastructure affect economic recovery?
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