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Coronavirus Act 2020

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Explanatory Notes

Explanatory Notes

Text created by the government department responsible for the subject matter of the Act to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Public Acts except Appropriation, Consolidated Fund, Finance and Consolidation Acts.
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The functions of the Treasury are carried out by the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury ("the Commissioners"). There are currently eight Commissioners: the Prime Minister (as the First Lord of the Treasury), the Chancellor of the Exchequer (as the Second Lord of the Treasury) and 6 Junior Lords of the Treasury.
By virtue of section 1 of the Treasury Instruments (Signature) Act 1849, where any instrument or act is required to be signed by the Commissioners, it may be signed by two or more of the Commissioners. It is crucial that the work of the Treasury can continue unimpeded during the COVID-19 outbreak and instruments are not delayed in a situation where Commissioners are not available because they are impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Act provides flexibility so a Minister of the Treasury can act as Commissioner and reduce the number of Commissioners needed to sign instruments during the COVID-19 outbreak.