Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 13
71st Report - Government’s use of external consultants
Published 11 Mar 2026
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Government's use of external consultants All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Cabinet Office told us that government is checking and validating the data it receives from departments. This includes HM Treasury working with departments to ensure the data reflects actual consultancy spend.31 The Cabinet Office stated that the data indicates that it is on track to meet the spending reduction targets. The Cabinet Office is confident in its data, but said it would prefer receiving external audit.32 In written evidence provided after the session, the Cabinet Office said that government has met the savings target of £550 million in 2024–25. The Cabinet Office, together with HM Treasury, have concluded this based on forecasts on OSCAR and Departments’ Spending Review returns.33
From: Public Accounts Committee, 71st Report - Government’s use of external consultants (HC 1521), 11 March 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 1 June 2026 (deadline 11 May 2026).