Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
The Treasury has relied on existing departmental processes within the system of Accounting Officer accountability...
Conclusion
The Treasury has relied on existing departmental processes within the system of Accounting Officer accountability to ensure money on EU Exit has been used as expected.37 We do not believe that this is sufficient, given the weaknesses identified by the NAO in the information departments hold, particularly in regards to the tracking of staff time.38
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4.1 The government disagrees with this recommendation. 4. 2 The government is committed to continuous improvement. It has been engaged in the EU Exit processes in various forms over the past four years and have engaged in iterative learning processes in parallel. There have been lessons to learn every week and every month, and the Committee has acknowledged some of the notable improvements it has made to our approach to planning as a result. Regarding resourcing in particular, lessons learned through EU Exit have been critical in informing the approach to cross-government resourcing, which has already enabled the government to pivot its approach to support the response to COVID-19. 4.3 This mode of continuous improvement also helps us to avoid complacency and any suggestion that nothing can be learned or changed until a formal review has been conducted. 4.4 Although the government is not proposing to do a formal review of all preparations, it is grateful to the National Audit Office for having conducted an extensive review and welcomes their findings.