Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Charging bodies would benefit from improved sharing of best practice and expert advice.
Conclusion
We heard charging bodies would value more signposting of where to go for expert advice and support and to learn from others’ experience. DVLA told us that more can be done to share good practice and that it is important to get those responsible for fees together to talk about what they are doing and some of the challenges.14 We asked the Treasury, given it has oversight across all the bodies that are setting the fees and charges, how it can help them learn from each other by sharing good practice. The Treasury told us that it has recently set up a working group in the Government Finance Function to share best practice on fees and charges and to be a feedback mechanism for the Treasury. The Treasury agreed that learning from best practice is helpful in terms of setting out things that departments should consider as standard.15 Strengthening oversight to improve financial management
Government Response Summary
HM Treasury will create a cross departmental working group to set out a comprehensive time-bound plan to be more systematic in supporting fee-charging public bodies, which will be shared with the Committee. The working group will discuss issuing operational guidance to government bodies and establish a mechanism to share good practice.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
1. PAC conclusion: The Treasury is not doing enough to actively support government bodies in managing their fees and charges effectively, resulting in inconsistent and poor practices across departments. 2 1. PAC recommendation: Alongside its Treasury minute response to this report, the Treasury should write to the Committee setting out a comprehensive time-bound plan on how it will be more systematic in supporting fee-charging public bodies. This should include issuing operational guidance on areas such as setting fees and making trade-offs; and establishing a mechanism to share good practice to support the improved financial management of fees and charges across government. 1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2026 1.2 HM Treasury will create a cross departmental working group to set out a comprehensive time-bound plan to be more systematic in supporting fee-charging public bodies, which will be shared with the Committee. As part of its remit, and as set out in the Committee’s recommendation, the working group will discuss issuing operational guidance to government bodies and establish a mechanism to share good practice.