Finance

The chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service has told the Public Accounts Committee that he would rather “take time to build a model that endures” than rush to increase the volume of services bought through and by his centralised procurement team

Comes after supplier Concentrix "consistently failed to achieve more than half of its performance targets" during first year of its tax credit checks contract

Scheme delivers strong value for money and has exceeded targets, Independent Commission for Aid Impact says, but officials could do more to help national governments improve the way cash is delivered

Comments from NHS England chief executive prompt former Treasury permanent secretary Nick Macpherson to warn of a "bottomless pit" on health service funding

Sir Nicholas Macpherson says his Treasury predecessor was "instrumental in pulling the country back from the brink in 1976"

But think tank warns that ministers could jeopardise its success by scaling back resourcing or attempting to widen its scope too much

Analysis by The Times finds fees paid to consultancy companies by the Department for International Development have risen sharply in the past year

Spending Review 2015 plans "will remain in place", says the new chancellor – but departments will be able to reinvest some of their 2019/20 savings

Live coverage of the build-up, announcements and reaction as chancellor Philip Hammond makes his first fiscal statement, via our colleagues on PoliticsHome.com

Researchers warn about lack of transparency over evidence behind policies announced in big fiscal events

Former top officials warn against centralisation of power with the finance ministry on eve of chancellor Philip Hammond's first Autumn Statement

Government efficiency targets have only made the financial position of NHS bodies worse, warns the National Audit Office

Public Accounts Committee move follows National Audit Office concerns over £434m “private sector support” and other costs in annual accounts

Public Accounts Committee says Concentrix debacle highlights potential for error as Universal Credit rollout continues

Financial services director moves upwards in the Treasury, and faces in-tray set to be dominated by the UK's decision to quit the European Union

FT reports that the chancellor wants a tighter focus on the spring Budget to avoid policy gimmicks

Justice permanent secretary tells MPs that “bearing down on the gap” between spending review targets and actual spending is the largest challenge for his officials, as he stands by the decision to implement spending controls that caused friction between department and prisons inspectorate

Think-tank raises eyebrow at PM’s capacity to turn her Conservative Party Conference pledges into reality against backdrop of further belt-tightening and Brexit uncertainty

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, the Institute for Government, and the Chartered Institute of Taxation say the UK's tax system suffers from "too little sense of direction, consultation or evaluation"

IfG says civil service is responding quickly to prepare for Brexit — but warns that ministerial conflict and uncertainty over the process could undermine this work

Former chair of the Public Accounts Committee wants to “tear away the shroud of secrecy” around corporate tax settlements, calling for scrutiny along similar lines to the Intelligence and Security Committee

Institute for Government says that while Brexit will bring many new challenges, the public finances will face increasing pressures

Labour Party-commissioned proposals demand more money for tax collection and new tier of governance for HM Revenue & Customs

Treasury minister says government is "very seriously" considering bringing back detailed publication of impact of policies on the low-paid, as Treasury committee member tells CSW that George Osborne's decision to axe analysis was a blow for "public transparency and parliamentary scrutiny"