Parliamentary committee criticises government’s lack of transparency with hospitality sector

A parliamentary committee has criticised the government’s lack of transparency with the hospitality sector and said sufficient data has not been provided to back up decisions and restrictions.

A report published by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said: “The evidence the committee received was inconclusive over whether restrictions on hospitality and entertainment sectors were sensible and indeed it is not the purpose of this report to come to a judgement on that. However, building trust with these sectors is absolutely essential and the level of transparency has not been sufficient.”

The report even said it is likely that failures in data sharing have undermined the response.

Chair of the committee William Wragg said: “For the government to build public confidence, it is absolutely vital that it is open on how it reaches its decisions and the data underpinning them.

“Lessons must also be learnt on how the government shares information with local partners. Delays in sharing vital data, and a reluctance to share detailed data almost certainly hampered the local response.”

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