Charging bodies do not publish adequate or consistent information on their fees and charges to allow for effective public scrutiny and accountability. The Treasury sets out in both Managing Public Money (MPM) and the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) the information departments must disclose on fees and charges in their annual report and accounts. However, inconsistencies between these documents creates ambiguity about what needs to be reported and the required level of detail. Partly as a result, none of the case study bodies fully met the Treasury’s disclosure requirements in 2023–24. The information in department annual reports is not sufficient for users to understand what they are being charged for; for instance cross-subsidising is not always transparent, and the aims of charges are often unclear. The presentation, depth and metrics disclosed by charging bodies vary considerably, limiting comparison and understanding for the public, the Treasury, and Parliament. recommendation The Treasury should set, by March 2026 in time for the next financial year, proportionate and standardised reporting requirements for fee-charging public bodies. These requirements must enable effective public and Parliamentary scrutiny by ensuring at a minimum that each body publishes: • how fees are calculated; 5 • the cost-recovery targets and actual performance with an explanation of any variance; • and the breakdown of costs included in fees, clearly identifying any cross-subsidies or costs included to support other areas of government.