When we asked the Department why, at 2 March 2023, it had not yet awarded its PHG for 2023–24, the Department acknowledged that it was very late but not unusually so. The Department explained that over the last three years they have allocated it on 7 February, 16 March and 17 March and acknowledged the “excellent job” local government does managing their services with the level of uncertainty that the annual budgets bring.28 We warned the Department about such delays in our July 2022 report on the rollout of the covid vaccine. In that report, we said departments should always set out annual budgets and funding for their key bodies and programmes in good time, and use supplementary estimates to manage uncertainties as they arise later in the financial year.29 We heard from Ms Taylor and Ms Wiseman that not knowing the PHG has a significant impact on 23 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.4 & 2.10, Figure 7 24 Q 13; Dame Carol Black, Independent report, Review of drugs part two: prevention, treatment, and recovery, 8 July 2021 25 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.17 & 3.2, Figure 9 & 11 26 C&AG’s Report, para2.13, Qq 56–57, 64 27 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.11–2.12, 3.2, Figure 11 28 Qq 66–67 29 Committee of Public Accounts, The rollout of the COVID vaccine programme in England, Eleventh Report of the Session 2022–23, HC 258, 13 July 2022 Alcohol treatment services 13 planning, recruiting specialist staff and workforce retention.30 Ms Wiseman told us that they can also face problems attracting providers to run the services if there is no secure funding base to offer. This can cause gaps in local services and pushes directors of public health to take risks by commissioning services without certainty of funding.31 Accessing treatment services