Twenty-Eighth Report - Efficiency in government
Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee
HC 636
3 December 2021
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty Eighth report from Session 2021-22 · published 1 Mar 2022
Recommendations & Conclusions
9 results
7
Conclusion
Not Addressed
In the past, we have seen how departments failing to consider the full effects of...
Conclusion
In the past, we have seen how departments failing to consider the full effects of their plans to improve efficiency have led to increased costs elsewhere in government, or have led to reductions in service quality which were costly to …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation regarding considering impact on service users and tracking data, rather than the committee's conclusion #7 which describes past failures in efficiency programmes due to lack of full impact consideration.
HM Treasury
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8
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We asked the Treasury how it will ensure efficiency plans consider the risk of ‘cost...
Conclusion
We asked the Treasury how it will ensure efficiency plans consider the risk of ‘cost shunting’, where money saved in one area increases costs in another area, and whether it would be asking departments to identify where knock-on impacts could …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation regarding considering impact on service users and tracking data, rather than the committee's conclusion #8 which reports on questions asked and answers received about cost shunting.
HM Treasury
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9
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We questioned the Treasury and the Cabinet Office on how departments are expected to estimate...
Conclusion
We questioned the Treasury and the Cabinet Office on how departments are expected to estimate the impact of efficiency savings on service user behaviour, and how this is incorporated into plans for efficiency.22 The Treasury told us that it agreed …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation about considering impact on service users and tracking data, rather than the committee's conclusion #9 which reports on an exchange about estimating impacts of efficiency savings on user behaviour.
HM Treasury
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11
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We asked the Treasury and Cabinet Office what is being done to minimise optimism bias,...
Conclusion
We asked the Treasury and Cabinet Office what is being done to minimise optimism bias, particularly how they can ensure efficiency plans are subject to adequate challenge and properly evidenced.26 The Cabinet Office told us that government functions will help …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation about ensuring efficiency plans are adequately challenged and realistic, rather than the committee's conclusion #11 which reports on an exchange about minimising optimism bias.
HM Treasury
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13
Conclusion
We asked the Cabinet Office whether it had pushed back on any plans for reducing...
Conclusion
We asked the Cabinet Office whether it had pushed back on any plans for reducing the size of government estates because they were over-optimistic. The Cabinet Office explained that the government’s plan to shrink the London property estate has not …
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HM Treasury
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15
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We questioned the Cabinet Office on how it can ensure capability is in place across...
Conclusion
We questioned the Cabinet Office on how it can ensure capability is in place across government to deliver departments’ efficiency programmes. The Cabinet Office told us that processes such as the Outcome Delivery Plans, where outcomes are matched against resources, …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation regarding HM Treasury and Cabinet Office working to understand and build capability, and report on progress of the Declaration on Government Reform, rather than the committee's conclusion #15 which reports on an exchange about capability delivery.
HM Treasury
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19
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The Treasury described how some of the processes used to scrutinise government plans, such as...
Conclusion
The Treasury described how some of the processes used to scrutinise government plans, such as benchmarking and ongoing project reviews, enable the Treasury and Cabinet Office to monitor the progress of efficiency programmes over time.46 The Cabinet Office told us …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation about using Outcome Delivery Plans to track costs and benefits of efficiency plans, rather than the committee's conclusion #19 which describes existing scrutiny processes and intentions regarding benefit tracking.
HM Treasury
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20
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We asked the Cabinet Office how it is going to deal with the constraints of...
Conclusion
We asked the Cabinet Office how it is going to deal with the constraints of inconsistent and poor-quality data and legacy systems in tracking the progress of efficiency plans, as described in the National Audit Office’s report.51 The Cabinet Office …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response addresses forecasting expenditure and Accounting Officer processes, which does not engage with the committee's conclusion about the Cabinet Office's plans for data quality, legacy IT systems, and data sharing.
HM Treasury
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21
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The report by the National Audit Office emphasises the need for efficiency to remain a...
Conclusion
The report by the National Audit Office emphasises the need for efficiency to remain a priority on an ongoing basis, rather than only being taken seriously at major fiscal events such as Spending Reviews.53 The report describes the need for …
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Government Response Summary
The government response addresses a different PAC recommendation about HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office working jointly to instil a culture of continuous improvement, rather than the committee's conclusion #21 which reports on the need for ongoing efficiency and asks how this will be encouraged.
HM Treasury
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