Summary
In 2022–23 (the latest data available), central government spend on consultants was estimated by HM Treasury to be approximately £1.36 billion, but other sources suggest the figure could be significantly higher (between £1.34 billion and £2.23 billion). Government departments make extensive use of external consultants to provide advice, expert insight or skills, usually for a specific initiative, project or programme. The government has said it wants to put an immediate stop to all non-essential spending on consultancy services and to “halve consultancy spending in future years, saving the taxpayer over £1.2 billion by 2026.”
The Cabinet Office has decided to use the £1.34 billion annual expenditure as the benchmark against which to measure the ambition of the government to halve consultancy spend. The Cabinet Office, however, does not have reliable data on how often, when and how departments use consultants. The data on spending across Whitehall is not collected on a consistent basis and different sources, that parts of the Cabinet Office use to inform decision making, report different figures. The Cabinet Office uses the departmental annual report and accounts and HM Treasury’s OSCAR data to monitor expenditure on consultants, but the Crown Commercial Service uses Jaggaer and Oxygen Finance to inform its decision making around consultancy use. It is therefore hard to see how the Cabinet Office can be confident which source is most accurate and properly monitor progress against targets to reduce spending.
The Cabinet Office seem unconcerned at the many and obvious inconsistencies and inaccuracies in its own data about what departments spend on consultants. Given these problems, and its seemingly indifferent position on the matter, it is clear that the Cabinet Office does not have a grip on what government spends on consultants.
The Cabinet Office central spending controls on consultancy were withdrawn in 2023, by the previous government, to cut the administrative burden for departments. Instead, the Cabinet Office relies on departments to develop their own internal controls on consultancy spending, but departments take varying approaches to establishing these controls. The Cabinet Office still issues guidance for departments on the use of consultants, including the Consultancy Playbook, but does not monitor compliance. Some of the guidance is outdated and in need of a refresh, including the Playbook which was last updated in 2022.
The Cabinet Office is due to produce a strategic workforce plan for the whole of the civil service, which has the potential to allow departments to better identify skills gaps and reduce the need for external resources, including consultants. In order for the Cabinet Office to produce this plan it requires departments to develop their own workforce plans.
Conclusions and recommendations
1. The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury do not have accurate data on what government spends on consultants which means the Cabinet Office is not able to set meaningful targets to reduce its reliance on them. The data available on departments’ consultancy spending are inconsistent and vary from one source to another. Government does not have a clear picture of how much it spends or how this spending has changed over time. This makes it difficult to make decisions on use of consultants or monitor progress against its targets to cut consultancy spending. The Cabinet Office explained that the data it uses and that is most reliable are what is reported in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) of each department. However, the Crown Commercial Service believes that the true number is significantly higher than what is reported in the ARAs. Consultancy expenditure is reported in departments’ accountability reports. However, unlike financial statements, the data on consultancy spend are not subject to audit by the National Audit Office.
recommendation
The Cabinet Office should provide the Committee with a detailed breakdown of what each department spends on individual private contractors, with the amounts further categorised by type of external service, such as consultancy, contingent labour, and professional services.
2. The Cabinet Office is unable to deliver on its strategic objective to reduce consultancy spend because departments are not complying with its definitions and directives. The Chief Commercial Officer stated that some departments are not following Government Commercial Function guidance or the good practice set out in the Consultancy Playbook when defining consultancy requirements, going to market, or contracting. Cabinet Office stated that it has often reiterated guidance for departments but does not monitor compliance. This is further complicated by the fact departments do not routinely monitor compliance by their arm’s-length bodies (ALBs). Cabinet Office is currently consulting with the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) about what government can do to improve assurance over data, consistency controls and oversight of ALBs.
recommendation
Alongside its Treasury Minute, the Cabinet Office should set out which departments are not complying with its requests on consultancy procurement and what it intends to do to address non-compliance.
3. The Cabinet Office is unable to demonstrate that the target to halve consultancy spend is an effective way to reduce spending on external providers. The Chancellor announced her intention to stop all non-essential spending on consultancy immediately and halve the government’s spend on consultants in 2025–26. Cabinet Office wrote to all departments, requiring them to ensure they had internal controls in place for consultancy spending and to follow existing government guidance for procuring consultants. However, departments often hire a consultancy firm to provide a package of services. Firms may provide consultancy, professional services and contingent labour within the same contract. This makes it difficult to isolate the amount spent and departments sometimes struggle to report in their accounts how they allocate portions of such contracts to consultancy. As a result, government bodies may be under- or over-reporting their consultancy spending. The variability in definition and lack of rigour in reporting consultancy spend may also allow departments to reclassify spending and under-report rather than reduce spending.
recommendation
The Cabinet Office should update the Committee by July 2026 with data on the past three years of spend on all external resourcing, including consultants, professional services, and contingent labour, to demonstrate reduction in expenditure.
4. The Cabinet Office has not provided departments with up-to-date guidance on how to procure, learn from and manage consultancy. The Government Commercial Function (GCF) is responsible for the Consultancy Playbook, as well as the related Sourcing Playbook. The Consultancy Playbook offers departments relevant guidance on how to procure, manage and learn from consultants, but it was last updated in 2022. The playbook has many references to the Government Consulting Hub, including its Knowledge Exchange platform, despite this hub closing in 2023. Since 2022, emerging technologies, such as AI, have transformed consultancy and professional services. The Chief Commercial Officer explained that the GCF is in the process of updating the Consultancy Playbook and should publish a new version by Summer 2026.
recommendation
The Cabinet Office should publish the updated Consultancy Playbook by July 2026. It should incorporate guidance about use of emerging technologies by consultancy providers.
5. The soon to be released strategic workforce plan has the potential to be a welcome step to support better use of consultants. The Cabinet Office told us that all departments are complying with requests to update their strategic workforce plans, which will enable Cabinet Office to deliver the government wide strategic workforce plan. By properly considering the pipeline of upcoming work, and assessing the organisation’s staff resources and skills, a department should be able to meet its requirements with existing staff, a new permanent staff member or contingent labour, instead of hiring a consultancy. In some cases, a team may be able to rely on resources elsewhere in government instead of going out to market. However, the lack of a whole government workforce strategy makes it very difficult for departments to look beyond their own resources. Cabinet Office is developing a strategic workforce plan for the civil service, which may address these issues. The Cabinet Office stated that the workforce plan will also include further details on departmental spending limits set by HM Treasury. The Cabinet Office said it will publish the plan but has not confirmed when.
recommendation
The Cabinet Office should commit to publishing the workforce plan by May 2026. The Committee expects the workforce plan to include an assessment of skills gaps that will require external resources and further details on departmental spending limits.
1 Government data and spend on the use of external consultants
Introduction
1. On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Cabinet Office, from HM Treasury, and from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, about government departments’ use of external consultants.1
2. Consultants are professionals who are contracted to provide advice to an organisation for a specific initiative, such as a project or programme. Consultants can provide expert insight or specialist skills that organisations require, or provide an external perspective, such as expertise in the implementation of digital projects. Consultants can be costly, so it is important that they are used appropriately. For example, when government needs a specific set of skills it lacks, and for a defined period.2
3. The Cabinet Office and the Government Commercial Function, a crossgovernment network that supports organisations’ use of commercial services, are responsible for setting the government’s policy and controls on the use of consultants. Individual departments and arm’s-length bodies (ALBs) are responsible for implementing government policy, managing their own use of consultants and operating internal controls around consultancy spending. Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to effectively procure common goods and services, including consultancy services.3
In 2022–23, central government spend on consultants was estimated to be approximately £1.36 billion.4 The government has said it wants to put an immediate stop to all non-essential spending on consultancy services and to “halve consultancy spending in future years, saving the taxpayer over £1.2 billion by 2026.”5 However, the data available on consultancy spending are inconsistent and vary from one source to another. This means the government does not have a clear picture of how much is actually spent. Inconsistent data makes it difficult for government to make decisions about how to use consultants and to monitor the government’s progress against its targets to cut consultancy spending.6
Inaccurate and inconsistent data
4. The government does not collect data on how it uses consultants, only what it spends. In 2022–23 (the latest data available), central government spend on consultants was estimated by HM Treasury to be approximately £1.36 billion, but other sources suggest the figure could be significantly higher.7 Different parts of government rely on spending data from various sources. For example, Cabinet Office uses published accounts, but the Crown Commercial Service relies on private sector analysis platforms such as Oxygen Finance Insights, and government spend management tools like Jaggaer Spend Analytics. These data are inconsistent and vary between sources. Departmental accounts, as well as HM Treasury’s OSCAR tool, rely on departments identifying the correct category for each spending return. The difference between categories of external services can be difficult to understand for departments, resulting in concerns about data quality available to HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office. In 2022–23, on average between the two, Oxygen Finance Insights and Jaggaer Spend Analytics estimated consultancy spending to be £615 million higher than the departmental accounts data and £595 million higher than the figures reported in OSCAR. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) believes actual spending may fall between figures reported by Oxygen Finance Insights and Jaggaer Spend Analytics.8
5. When asked why government does not hold an accurate estimate of current consultancy spending, the Cabinet Office stated that it relies on the Whole of Government Annual Report and Accounts and departmental Annual Reports and Accounts (ARAs) and is satisfied with these figures.9 HM Treasury explained that the difference between OSCAR data and annual reports is that OSCAR provides monthly departmental spending updates, whereas annual reports are subject to scrutiny and auditing because these are published data.10 Other sources, such as Tussell, do not capture the range of activities companies may provide alongside consultancy services and are therefore grouped under the same category.11 HM Treasury said that the departmental accounts are subject to external audit by the National Audit Office.12 However, the NAO does not audit reported consultancy expenditure in departments’ accountability reports.13
6. We questioned whether government has a breakdown of the amount spent on consultancy services in government with individual consultancy firms, separating audit fees from consultancy work. The Chief Commercial Officer explained they have the total annual spend, broken down by department.14 This is not currently broken down by type of service, but the Cabinet Office stated that they could provide these figures as departments are likely to hold this information. The Department questioned the relevance of the request, noting that most audit services are not provided by external firms, and said that the best way to provide full transparency is to look across all categories of expenditure and show that each is reducing.15
7. We asked about the current processes for improving data quality and reducing labour intensive data checking processes. The Cabinet Office acknowledged that data processes are not yet as good as they need to be, but that it is investing in new technology through the shared services programme. When questioned further on where progress is currently being made, the Cabinet Office explained that departments are at different stages of maturity. Some departments already operate on advanced systems, while others still rely on spreadsheets. The current work across government therefore involves finance and commercial directors ensuring reconciliation controls, as well as leadership and culture change. Over time, as the shared services programme is rolled out, Departments will be expected to move to more integrated systems.16
Definitions and lack of departmental compliance
8. Inconsistent data prevent departments from understanding which consultants they use, or what skills gaps they repeatedly hire consultants to address. Departmental annual reports use different definitions of what constitutes consultancy spending, which may or may not be based on the Cabinet Office definition of consultancy. Departments also do not always separate the core department’s spending on consultants from departmental group spending, which includes ALBs, agencies and nondepartmental public bodies.17
9. We asked the Department why there is no uniform definition for consultancy used across government. The Chief Commercial Officer explained there is a standard definition for consultants across government, which is published in the Consultancy Playbook, and that the differences stem from inconsistent application across departments.18 Some of the confusion around definitions and spend arises from large contracts that combine consultancy and professional services, making it difficult for departments to isolate the spend on consultancy services only.19 The Cabinet Office stated that it expects departments to comply with the set definitions and confirmed that ALBs are subject to the same definitions.20 The Chief Commercial Officer said that the Cabinet Office is bringing Departments together to achieve greater consistency.21
10. The Department said it plans to ensure compliance by departments with standard definitions through a combination of audit, data and technology improvements, and strengthening its mandate. The Cabinet Office has also established a working group and is seeking advice from the Government Internal Audit Agency to identify where Departments diverge from the definition across government.22 When asked how long it expects to take to strengthen its mandate, the Cabinet Office stated that it issues directions in the annual accounts and will contact any non-compliant departments directly. It has also already reminded Departments of the best practice shared in the Consultancy Playbook, and the definitions it contains, to improve data quality.23 However, the Department could not commit to a timeline.24
Reducing consultancy spend
11. The Chancellor’s July 2024 speech set targets to cut consultancy spending, including an immediate halt to non-essential services and halving future spend to save £550 million in 2024–25. These goals were reiterated in the 2024 Autumn Budget. Cabinet Office and HM Treasury are jointly monitoring departments’ progress against the savings targets.25 In written evidence provided after the session, the Cabinet Office explained that the baseline for achieving £550 million in savings in 2024–25 was calculated using departmental forecasts, submitted through OSCAR in June 2024. This amount totalled £1.5 billion, excluding expenditure related to the NHS, the Devolved Governments, and Local Authorities.26
12. The Cabinet Office told us that central spending controls over consultancy spending were withdrawn in 2023 to improve the pace of decision-making in government.27 It has since encouraged departments to develop their own internal controls.28 When asked how government ensures these controls are applied consistently across government, the Cabinet Office explained that departments have demonstrated varying levels of control and that it is seeking advice from the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) on how best to achieve consistency and to provide assurance that spending controls are appropriate. The Cabinet Office stated that it will also receive feedback from the GIAA on how to improve controls within ALBs.29 The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us about its spending controls, which require approval for consultancy contracts over £100,000 within three months, with further controls at £600,000 or for longer than nine months. For contracts over £10 million, a commercial assurance board reviews proposals against value-for-money tests. Contingent labour is managed separately through financial processes using CCS contracts.30
13. The Cabinet Office told us that government is checking and validating the data it receives from departments. This includes HM Treasury working with departments to ensure the data reflects actual consultancy spend.31 The Cabinet Office stated that the data indicates that it is on track to meet the spending reduction targets. The Cabinet Office is confident in its data, but said it would prefer receiving external audit.32 In written evidence provided after the session, the Cabinet Office said that government has met the savings target of £550 million in 2024–25. The Cabinet Office, together with HM Treasury, have concluded this based on forecasts on OSCAR and Departments’ Spending Review returns.33
14. We asked what assurance the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury can give taxpayers that any savings will reflect actual reductions in spend, rather than shifting spend to other categories, such as contingent labour. The Cabinet Office explained that it is monitoring all categories of external resourcing (consultancy, contingent labour and professional services) to see that cost reduction is happening across the board.34 In written evidence provided after the session, the Cabinet Office indicated that analysis of departmental accounts shows spending is forecast to reduce across all three categories, with a reduction of over £1.17 billion in real terms by 2030. In addition, during the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury set individual limits on consultancy spending for each department who have all agreed plans to stay within these limits. The Cabinet Office stated that further details will be published in the Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan.35
2 Government guidance and planning for the use of external consultants
Out of date guidance
15. In May 2021, the government established the Government Consulting Hub (GCH) to improve its use of consultants and provide an in-house alternative. It employed around 70 to 100 staff and charged costs to departments using its services. The GCH published the Consultancy Playbook which offers departments relevant guidance on how to procure, manage and learn from consultants. The Cabinet Office closed the GCH on 31 January 2023 as part of efforts to reduce the civil service headcount. Following its closure, in-house consulting services and the knowledge-sharing platform were discontinued. Since GCH’s closure, the Government Commercial Function (GCF) has been responsible for the Consultancy Playbook, as well as the related Sourcing Playbook. The Consultancy Playbook was last updated in 2022.36
16. The Cabinet Office told us that The Consultancy Playbook sets out lessons learned on getting the best value from consultancy, including knowledge transfer and sharing best practice across departments. This may particularly apply to innovative digital and technology projects where a department does not have the necessary skills internally to undertake a transformation programme to increase efficiency.
17. However, the Playbook was last updated in 2022 and contains many references to the Government Consulting Hub (GCH), including its Knowledge Exchange platform, despite this hub no longer existing. We asked why the Consultancy Playbook has not yet been reissued despite it being outdated. The Chief Commercial Officer explained that the GCF is in the process of updating the Playbook and that the revised Playbook will be reissued by the summer of 2026.37 We also asked how the Cabinet Office will ensure departmental compliance with the Playbook. The Chief Commercial Officer stated that contracts up to £100,000 require formal governance and sign-off by the accounting officer, while those over £600,000 need Ministerial approval. The Cabinet Office said that the Consultancy Playbook should be seen as the standard for defining requirements, going to market and contracting, and CCS should be the default route. The Cabinet Office also explained that spend on consultants is managed through each department’s commercial director, and the Cabinet Office monitors progress against departmental targets regularly through the commercial function.38
18. We also asked the Cabinet Office about the Government Consulting Hub and its usefulness before it was closed. The Cabinet Office said that the Hub was open just under two years and demonstrated that it was possible to provide expert advice to departments in a cost-effective way. However, it was also difficult for a small organisation to compete with the knowledge and skills of large private sector consultancy firms. Given the limited time the GCH was functioning, its overall impact is difficult to assess. The Cabinet Office told us that some of the services of the GCH have been transferred to other parts of Government, such as the advisory service provided by the Crown Commercial Service (Prosper).39
19. The Cabinet Office stated that it incorporates and shares lessons from international best practice through both functions, for example by attending the Global Government Forum. We asked how government measures the effectiveness of disseminating this information. The Cabinet Office explained that it is often applied within functions and that guidance is occasionally updated to reflect international best practice, such as with the digital work they are currently doing across government. When asked who is responsible for ensuring departments follow best practice guidance, the Cabinet Office stated that while it is the Cabinet Office’s responsibility to provide best practice, implementing it is the individual departments’ responsibility.40
Strategic workforce planning
20. Workforce planning ensures that organisations have the right level of staff for their needs, with the necessary skills and capabilities. Getting workforce planning right helps organisations carry out their operations effectively so that they can achieve their objectives and priorities. A lack of robust understanding of future need and not having the right information and data to understand workforce skills and any gaps can undermine strategic planning. Without this planning, departments are often not aware of what skills are available within their own organisation, which may lead to relying on consultants too much, or unnecessarily.41
21. Written evidence we received highlighted that government has faced long-standing challenges in developing and retaining core skills, and recommends not only building up civil service capability and capacity where skills are repeatedly needed but also providing training in the effective use of consultants.42 The Cabinet Office told us that it plans to shift resources and capacity from back-office functions to frontline delivery, meaning the Cabinet Office intends to make greater use of civil service capacity and capability. These plans are presented alongside the spending reduction targets.43
22. The Cabinet Office told us that, for the first time, government is developing multi-year strategic workforce plans for the civil service. The Cabinet Office has directed departments to provide five-year forecasts outlining the skills and capacity required to develop their workforces, including those of arm’s-length bodies. The forecasts include both consultancy and contingent labour.44 The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us that its strategic workforce plan is aligned with Cabinet Office guidance and aims to build key professional skills and capabilities. The workforce plan balances building core internal skills with selectively procuring external expertise when it offers better value for money. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us that it works together with the Cabinet Office’s complex transactions team, which in some cases has replaced the need to use external consultants.45
23. We asked the Cabinet Office when it expects to publish the new strategic workforce plan. It told us that there is no confirmed publication date at present, but it hoped the government would be able to release the plan within four months of when we took evidence (which was on 15 December 2025). The Cabinet Office told us that the strategic workforce plan will set out how government will tackle skills gaps across government and that the biggest gaps are in digital and technology skills, and in project delivery and project management. The Cabinet Office expects that consultants can add value in these areas.46 The Cabinet Office also stated that the workforce plan will contain further details on departmental spending limits set by HM Treasury.47 When asked whether it also expects to use AI to increase productivity, the Cabinet Office stated that it does and is providing training on AI to the civil service. The Cabinet Office said it would like to consider whether AI can play a role in shaping the consultancy sphere but does not expect AI to fully replace consultancy services.48
Formal minutes
Monday 2 March 2026
Members present
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, in the Chair
Mr Clive Betts
Sarah Green
Rupert Lowe
Catherine McKinnell
Tristan Osborne
Matt Turmaine
Government’s use of external consultants
Draft Report (Government’s use of external consultants), proposed by the Chair, brought up and read.
Ordered, That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 23 read and agreed to.
Summary agreed to.
Conclusions and recommendations agreed to.
Resolved, That the Report be the Seventy-first Report of the Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chair make the Report to the House.
Ordered, That embargoed copies of the Report be made available (Standing Order No. 134).
Adjournment
Adjourned till Thursday 5 March at 9.30 a.m.
Witnesses
The following witnesses gave evidence. Transcripts can be viewed on the inquiry publications page of the Committee’s website.
Monday 15 December 2025
Cat Little CB, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office; Andrew Forzani, Government Chief Commercial Officer, Cabinet Office; Rebecca Molyneux, Deputy Director, Workforce, Pay and Pensions, HM Treasury; Mark Leigh, Commercial Director, Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroQ1-76
Published written evidence
The following written evidence was received and can be viewed on the inquiry publications page of the Committee’s website.
GDA numbers are generated by the evidence processing system and so may not be complete.
1 Kaczmarek, Professor SylvesterGDA0014
2 Sturdy, Professor Andrew (Professor of Management and Organisation, University of Bristol)GDA0010
List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament
All publications from the Committee are available on the publications page of the Committee’s website.
Session 2024–26
|
Number |
Title |
Reference |
|
70th |
Home-to-school transport |
HC 1238 |
|
69th |
Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24 |
HC 1243 |
|
68th |
Excess Votes 2024-25 |
HC 1711 |
|
67th |
NS&I’s transformation programme |
HC 1237 |
|
66th |
Tackling fraud and error in benefit expenditure 2024-25 |
HC 1231 |
|
65th |
Efficiency and resilience of the Probation Service |
HC 1235 |
|
64th |
Costs of clinical negligence |
HC 1234 |
|
63rd |
Increasing police productivity |
HC 1239 |
|
62nd |
Faulty energy efficiency installations |
HC 1229 |
|
61st |
Financial sustainability of children’s care homes |
HC 1233 |
|
60th |
DWP follow-up: Autumn 2025 |
HC 1447 |
|
59th |
Ministry of Justice follow-up: Autumn 2025 |
HC 1240 |
|
58th |
Government services: Identifying costs |
HC 1421 |
|
57th |
Government services: Generating income |
HC 890 |
|
56th |
BBC Accounts and Trust Statement 2024–25 |
HC 1230 |
|
55th |
Reducing NHS waiting times for elective care |
HC 820 |
|
54th |
Afghanistan Response Route |
HC 1391 |
|
53rd |
Cost of maintaining the FCDO’s overseas estate |
HC 884 |
|
52nd |
Resilience to threats from animal disease |
HC 885 |
|
51st |
The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability |
HC 1232 |
|
50th |
Local bus services in England |
HC 892 |
|
49th |
Administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme |
HC 888 |
|
48th |
Smarter delivery of public services |
HC 889 |
|
47th |
First Annual Report of the Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts |
HC 1300 |
|
46th |
Improving local areas through developer funding |
HC 886 |
|
45th |
Improving family court services for children |
HC 883 |
|
44th |
Governance and decision-making on major projects |
HC 642 |
|
43rd |
MoD’s oversight of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations |
HC 893 |
|
42nd |
Water sector regulation |
HC 824 |
|
41st |
UK Research and Innovation |
HC 826 |
|
40th |
Collecting the right tax from wealthy individuals |
HC 827 |
|
39th |
Government’s use of private finance for infrastructure |
HC 821 |
|
38th |
Increasing teacher numbers: Secondary and further education |
HC 825 |
|
37th |
Immigration: Skilled worker visas |
HC 819 |
|
36th |
Jobcentres |
HC 823 |
|
35th |
Introducing T Levels |
HC 822 |
|
34th |
Department for Business and Trade Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 |
HC 818 |
|
33rd |
Supporting the UK’s priority industry sectors |
HC 1070 |
|
32nd |
The Future of the Equipment Plan |
HC 716 |
|
31st |
Local Government Financial Sustainability |
HC 647 |
|
30th |
Antimicrobial resistance: addressing the risks |
HC 646 |
|
29th |
Condition of Government property |
HC 641 |
|
28th |
Decommissioning Sellafield |
HC 363 |
|
27th |
Government’s relationship with digital technology suppliers |
HC 640 |
|
26th |
Tackling Violence against Women and Girls |
HC 644 |
|
25th |
DHSC Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 |
HC 639 |
|
24th |
Government cyber resilience |
HC 643 |
|
23rd |
The cost of the tax system |
HC 645 |
|
22nd |
Government’s support for biomass |
HC 715 |
|
21st |
Fixing NHS Dentistry |
HC 648 |
|
20th |
DCMS management of COVID-19 loans |
HC 364 |
|
19th |
Energy Bills Support |
HC 511 |
|
18th |
Use of AI in Government |
HC 356 |
|
17th |
The Remediation of Dangerous Cladding |
HC 362 |
|
16th |
Whole of Government Accounts 2022-23 |
HC 367 |
|
15th |
Prison estate capacity |
HC 366 |
|
14th |
Public charge points for electric vehicles |
HC 512 |
|
13th |
Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children |
HC 365 |
|
12th |
Crown Court backlogs |
HC 348 |
|
11th |
Excess votes 2023-24 |
HC 719 |
|
10th |
HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation |
HC 357 |
|
9th |
Tax evasion in the retail sector |
HC 355 |
|
8th |
Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage |
HC 351 |
|
7th |
Asylum accommodation: Home Office acquisition of former HMP Northeye |
HC 361 |
|
6th |
DWP Customer Service and Accounts 2023-24 |
HC 354 |
|
5th |
NHS financial sustainability |
HC 350 |
|
4th |
Tackling homelessness |
HC 352 |
|
3rd |
HMRC Customer Service and Accounts |
HC 347 |
|
2nd |
Condition and maintenance of Local Roads in England |
HC 349 |
|
1st |
Support for children and young people with special educational needs |
HC 353 |
Footnotes
1 C&AG’s Report, Government’s use of external consultants, 21 November 2025
2 C&AG’s Report, para 1
3 C&AG’s Report, para 2
4 C&AG’s Report, paras 3-4
5 Cabinet Office, New controls across government to curb consultancy spend and save over £1.2 billion by 2026, 14 November 2024
6 C&AG’s Report, para 13
7 C&AG’s Report, para 3
8 C&AG’s Report, para 1.35 and Figure 10
9 Qq 3, 21
10 Q 21
11 Q 4
12 Q 33
13 C&AG’s Report, para 1.32
14 Q 73
15 Qq 74-75
16 Qq 24-26
17 C&AG’s Report, para 1.33
18 Q 27
19 Qq 27-28
20 Qq 30, 39
21 Q 29
22 Q 30
23 Qq 27-28
24 Q 31
25 C&AG’s Report, para 1.30
26 Letter from the Cabinet Office, 5 January 2026
27 Q 36
28 C&AG’s Report, para 1.29
29 Qq 35-39
30 Qq 39-41
31 Qq 32, 40
32 Q 32
33 Letter from the Cabinet Office, 5 January 2026
34 Q 33
35 Letter from the Cabinet Office, 5 January 2026
36 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.14, 1.19 and 1.21
37 Qq 44, 46
38 Q 48
39 Qq 45, 47, 53
40 Qq 67-68, 70
41 C&AG’s Report, para 2.3
42 Professor Andrew Sturdy (GDA0010)
43 Q 2
44 Q 2
45 Qq 10, 42
46 Qq 54-55
47 Letter from the Cabinet Office, 5 January 2026
48 Qq 59, 63, 69