Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
We have previously recommended that the Department should improve its financial skills and asked what...
Conclusion
We have previously recommended that the Department should improve its financial skills and asked what progress had been made.34 The Department had not increased the number of professionally qualified finance staff, and said it was unhappy that the proportion of finance staff with a professional qualification remained at 41%, the same as last year.35 The Army, Navy and Royal Air Force also had staff shortages in their finance sections, with one third of Equipment Plan-related posts vacant. The Department said it is seeking to train and recruit staff with finance qualifications but acknowledged that these plans were not moving fast enough. Despite not having enough staff with a professional finance qualification, the Department told us that it still had confidence in its cost forecasts.36
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6. 1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2023 6.2 Strengthening the financial capabilities within the department is a key part of the department’s Finance Functional Leadership Programme. The department will be delivering professional training for level 3, 4 and 7 apprenticeships for staff currently within the finance function. In addition, the department has in place a Finance Skills Certificate for finance function staff. For the senior civil service and military equivalents, the Defence Strategic Finance Programme is available, for which prior completion of the Finance Skills Certificate is mandated. The department is also in the process of developing finance training for budget holders. 6.3 As part of the design of the finance service delivery model, professional qualifications are recommended for those roles that require it and this will form part of the recruitment process when posts become vacant. It takes time to both train and recruit professionally qualified staff, but numbers will increase over time. 6.4 As part of the same programme, the department is also looking to increase capacity by introducing a standardised service delivery model; simplifying and standardising processes and exploiting the use of corporate systems. 6.5 The department is developing a centralised pool of guidance and resources to support analysts across defence which will be ready in Summer 2021. The department’s Analysis Function runs a Quality Assurance Working Group to enable best practice to be shared more widely and increase knowledge of the department's business critical models. 6.6 The department’s Cost Assurance and Analysis Service (CAAS) has developed training and advice in modelling and quality assurance which it provides across defence.