Treasury seeks technical efficiencies of ‘at least 1% a year’ from departments
28 Apr Finance

Treasury seeks technical efficiencies of ‘at least 1% a year’ from departments

Perm sec tells MPs “stretching and realistic” Spending Review targets are being worked up with the Office for Value for Money
by Jim Dunton
Treasury working with departments to build integrated finance system
24 Jun Finance
Treasury working with departments to build integrated finance system
SR25: HMRC gets £1.7bn for big increase in compliance and debt management staff
12 Jun Finance
SR25: HMRC gets £1.7bn for big increase in compliance and debt management staff
‘Radically’ shorter Green Book will support place-based budgeting and transformational change
11 Jun Finance
‘Radically’ shorter Green Book will support place-based budgeting and transformational change
HMRC offers £100k for new Fraud Investigation Service post
10 Feb 2021 Finance
HMRC offers £100k for new Fraud Investigation Service post
Head of operations will oversee modernisation of capabilities to tackle serious fraud
Ministers confirm fix for unlawful Civil Service Pension Scheme discrimination
05 Feb 2021 Finance
Ministers confirm fix for unlawful Civil Service Pension Scheme discrimination
Unions welcome decision to give scheme members deferred-choice option but seek action on reduced contributions
DfE 'unconcerned' about free school meal voucher scheme profit
05 Feb 2021 Finance
DfE 'unconcerned' about free school meal voucher scheme profit
Department did not ask to see voucher provider Edenred's books or renegotiate contract
Northern Ireland crackdown on special advisers set to become law
03 Feb 2021 Finance
Northern Ireland crackdown on special advisers set to become law
Executive Office spad numbers will be cut to six, salaries capped at £90k and advisers subject to the same disciplinary rules as civil servants
Ministerial directions shot up amid pandemic, analysis finds
28 Jan 2021 Finance
Ministerial directions shot up amid pandemic, analysis finds
Think tank warns threefold increase in decisions to overrule officials' advice on spending must still be properly scrutinised
Raab confirms aid cut and pledges a 'more integrated approach' to ODA
27 Jan 2021 Finance
Raab confirms aid cut and pledges a 'more integrated approach' to ODA
Departmental split will ensure aid "has greater coherence and delivers most value for money", foreign secretary claims
22 Jan 2021 Finance
WATCH: Planning for the year ahead: What you need to know now for the 2021 Spending Review
After the government implemented a one-year spending review due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Treasury and departments are already turning their sights to a full three-year review in 2021. This webinar with Oracle examines how the government will be making major spending decisions.
Pandemic could make HMRC’s hubs plan ‘woefully out of date’, MPs warn
21 Jan 2021 Finance
Pandemic could make HMRC’s hubs plan ‘woefully out of date’, MPs warn
Report also says department has spent too much of its IT budget patching up legacy systems rather than modernising them
Spending watchdog warns of pressures piling up for 'already stretched' MoJ
08 Jan 2021 Finance
Spending watchdog warns of pressures piling up for 'already stretched' MoJ
Snapshot report contrasts shortage of prison places with boosted sentencing projections and delayed court hearings
‘There was exceptional teamwork and rigour’: Head of the government finance function Cat Little reflects on her first Spending Review in 2020
23 Dec 2020 Finance
‘There was exceptional teamwork and rigour’: Head of the government finance function Cat Little reflects on her first Spending Review in 2020
2020 was a year unlike any other, with the coronavirus pandemic upending the work of government and changing how we live our daily lives. Senior figures from across the civil service tell us how the unprecedented 12 months affected them, and look ahead to 2021
Cabinet Office ‘doesn’t have the data’ to fix civil service skills gaps
11 Dec 2020 Finance
Cabinet Office ‘doesn’t have the data’ to fix civil service skills gaps
MPs say crisis has been exacerbated by short-termism, pay restrictions and significant salary disparities between departments
Cabinet Office ‘scales back’ Crown Consultancy vision post-Cummings
10 Dec 2020 Finance
Cabinet Office ‘scales back’ Crown Consultancy vision post-Cummings
Service now expected to focus on giving advice about consultancy spending, following departure of PM’s chief adviser
HMRC and Home Office the big winners as spending review commits £600m to ‘fix outdated government IT’
30 Nov 2020 Finance
HMRC and Home Office the big winners as spending review commits £600m to ‘fix outdated government IT’
Document also outlines projection of extra £700m revenue from digital taxation regime
Vacancy crisis sees NICS agency staff spending hit £46m a year
27 Nov 2020 Finance
Vacancy crisis sees NICS agency staff spending hit £46m a year
Audit Office director says figure represents a 155% increase over the past two years
Dropping 0.7% aid-spending commitment 'fundamentally wrong', government told
27 Nov 2020 Finance
Dropping 0.7% aid-spending commitment 'fundamentally wrong', government told
"Temporary" ODA cut has sparked a ministerial resignation, while a union warns it could affect jobs
Spending Review 2020: Do outcomes for departments point to a new way of measuring performance?
27 Nov 2020 Finance
Spending Review 2020: Do outcomes for departments point to a new way of measuring performance?
New frameworks and metrics to judge how well departments work could form the building blocks of a reformed approach to managing public spending, but more detail is needed, says Martin Wheatley
Priorities for every department and new FCDO and Treasury hubs: what the Spending Review means for the civil service
25 Nov 2020 Finance
Priorities for every department and new FCDO and Treasury hubs: what the Spending Review means for the civil service
What are your department’s new priorities?
DWP jobs boost confirmed in Spending Review
25 Nov 2020 Finance
DWP jobs boost confirmed in Spending Review
Rishi Sunak provides funds to double number of work coaches in £1.4bn coronavirus support uplift
Civil service braces for new pay woe in Spending Review
24 Nov 2020 Finance
Civil service braces for new pay woe in Spending Review
Downing Street briefs that prime minister opposes planned £3k rise for MPs in light of mooted public-sector freeze
Probation inspector Justin Russell on coronavirus, Transforming Rehabilitation and the Spending Review
20 Nov 2020 Finance
Probation inspector Justin Russell on coronavirus, Transforming Rehabilitation and the Spending Review
After years of funding cuts and the looming renationalisation of outsourced probation services, Russell calls for extra funding to be “baked into the baseline” for the Spending Review
Four-year MoD settlement ‘not decided in a vacuum’, insists Treasury perm sec
20 Nov 2020 Finance
Four-year MoD settlement ‘not decided in a vacuum’, insists Treasury perm sec
Tom Scholar tells MPs preparation work for delayed integrated review of defence, security and foreign affairs fed into multi-year funding boost
MoD gets multi-year cash deal ahead of spending review
19 Nov 2020 Finance
MoD gets multi-year cash deal ahead of spending review
Funding plan agreed before 2021 publication of full integrated review of foreign, defence and security policy
FDA calls on Sunak to deal with CPS ‘workload crisis’ in Spending Review
11 Nov 2020 Finance
FDA calls on Sunak to deal with CPS ‘workload crisis’ in Spending Review
Union sends petition to chancellor calling for resources to deal with backlog of 45,000 cases
HMRC 'could have done more' to prevent furlough fraud, NAO says
26 Oct 2020 Finance
HMRC 'could have done more' to prevent furlough fraud, NAO says
Watchdog also urges tax agency to ensure fewer people miss out on support under future schemes