Cost Benefit Analyses - COVID-19
Simon Veritas made this Official Information request to Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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From: Simon Veritas
Dear Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,
I am hoping you are the right department for COVID-related questions.
Could you please provide:
1. Any cost:benefit analyses of various policy approaches to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including
1a - the date requested
1b - the date received
1c - the date the information was considered by Cabinet
2 if you cannot provide the full text, please provide a listing of all costs and benefits considered in any cost:benefit analysis (e.g. - the following is purely theoretical)
Level 4:
Benefits: Fewer deaths
Costs: Health reductions from reduced gym attendance and exercise
3 if you are aware, could you also provide the title and date of any cost:benefit analyses on COVID-19 that were provided to other state sector ministries or departments (e.g. MoH)
Yours faithfully,
Simon Veritas
From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
Kia ora
Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 which was received on 18 October 2021, copied below. A response will be provided in accordance with the Act.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) may publish the response to your Official Information Act (OIA) request.
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Ngā mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial and Business Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [DPMC request email]
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[AF[1]For use during summer period
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From: Information [DPMC]
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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DPMCOIA Transfer OIA 2021 22 0462 Veritas Cost Benefit Analysis for COVID 19 Response Simon Varitas.pdf
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Kia ora koe,
Please see the attached letter regarding your recent OIA request.
Ngā mihi,
Ministerial Coordinator
Ministerial and Business Services
Strategy, Governance and Engagement
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
E [1][DPMC request email]
[2]cid:image002.png@01D43609.296F69C0
The information contained in this email message is for the attention of
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communication of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. If you
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From: Bradley Martin [TSY]
Dear Simon
On behalf of the Treasury, I acknowledge receipt of your email requesting:
1. Any cost:benefit analyses of various policy approaches to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including 1a - the date requested 1b - the date received 1c - the date the information was considered by Cabinet
2 if you cannot provide the full text, please provide a listing of all costs and benefits considered in any cost:benefit analysis (e.g. - the following is purely theoretical) Level 4:
Benefits: Fewer deaths
Costs: Health reductions from reduced gym attendance and exercise
3 if you are aware, could you also provide the title and date of any cost:benefit analyses on COVID-19 that were provided to other state sector ministries or departments (e.g. MoH)
Your request was received by the Treasury on 28 October 2021 and will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act.
The Treasury will not publish your personal contact details or use the information for any reason other than processing your request. The personal information you provide is subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act 1993 and the Official Information Act 1982.
Ngâ mihi
Bradley Martin| Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ôhanga – The Treasury
Email/IM: [email address]
Visit us online at https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
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From: Bradley Martin [TSY]
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TOIA Reply 20210515 Cost Benefit Analyses COVID 19.pdf
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Dear Simon
Please find attached the response to your request for information from the
Treasury
Ngâ mihi
Bradley Martin| Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ôhanga – The Treasury
Email/IM: [1][email address]
Visit us online at [2]https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on
[3]Twitter, [4]LinkedIn and [5]Instagram
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
[6]cid:image003.png@01D5A8F8.E5EF5200
Link: [7]File-List
Link: [8]Edit-Time-Data
Link: [9]themeData
Link: [10]colorSchemeMapping
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From: Simon Veritas
Dear Bradley Martin [TSY],
Thanks very much for your response. I have read the material provided and should wish to further clarify my request. In reading these analyses it appears the economic analysis is focused on the monetary economy rather than broader issues of utility, except insofar as the health harms have been converted to a monetary value (from utility loss).
As such, my request is:
did any of the cost benefit analyses conducted by Treasury attempt to quantify the loss of personal utility from alert level states or the inability to travel internationally (i.e. a person in alert level four loses X% of utility each week, which adds up to X QALY or similar, or a person misses out on a holiday, and loses X% of their utility). If so, which reports contained this type of analysis, and what were the values assigned to utility loss at various states?
Yours sincerely,
Simon Veritas
From: Bradley Martin [TSY]
Good afternoon Simon
Thank you for your email.
The Treasury does not have an analysis of utility that it can provide to answer your query below. There is an upcoming proactive release planned by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. While that is not likely to include a quantitative analysis of utility, it will provide broader information on the various factors when making Alert Level decisions. The release is planned soon and will be available here: https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications
Ngā mihi
Bradley Martin| Ministerial Advisor | Te Tai Ōhanga – The Treasury
Email/IM: [email address]
Visit us online at https://treasury.govt.nz/ and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram
[IN-CONFIDENCE]
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