Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 20
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)
Workforce planning ensures that organisations have the right level of staff for their needs, with the necessary skills and capabilities. Getting workforce planning right helps organisations carry out their operations effectively so that they can achieve their objectives and priorities. A lack of robust understanding of future need and not having the right information and data to understand workforce skills and any gaps can undermine strategic planning. Without this planning, departments are often not aware of what skills are available within their own organisation, which may lead to relying on consultants too much, or unnecessarily.41 38 Q 48 39 Qq 45, 47, 53 40 Qq 67-68, 70 41 C&AG’s Report, para 2.3 13
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).