Recommendation 10

The Department said it plans to ensure compliance by departments with standard definitions through a combination of audit, data and technology improvements, and strengthening its mandate. The Cabinet Office has also established a working group and is seeking advice from the Government Internal Audit Agency to identify where Departments diverge from the definition across government.22 When asked how long it expects to take to strengthen its mandate, the Cabinet Office stated that it issues directions in the annual accounts and will contact any non-compliant departments directly. It has also already reminded Departments of the best practice shared in the Consultancy Playbook, and the definitions it contains, to improve data quality.23 However, the Department could not commit to a timeline.24 Reducing consultancy spend