Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
29th Report - Condition of Government property
Published 11 Jun 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Condition of Government properties All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Many departments and arm’s length bodies do not have the skills and capabilities to manage their property portfolio effectively. There is a shortage of skilled property professionals across departments. Departments are finding it difficult to recruit and retain property professionals. The lack of capacity and capability in departments impacts their ability to maintain properties effectively, including both carrying out the work required and managing contractors. Government has recently made progress in recruiting and training staff, for example by initiating 302 new property apprenticeships and 61 new graduates recruited for property roles by September 2024. We understand that the government property function has the lowest proportion of women working in it of any of the government functions; an issue acknowledged by the Cabinet Office and which it says it is trying to address. We are also concerned that it may be very challenging to maintain existing property professional staff numbers across government, and certainly to recruit more, in the context of trying to reduce civil service expenditure. The Cabinet Office has itself announced recently that it intends to reduce its staff numbers by nearly a third. recommendation As part of its of strategic workforce planning review, the Cabinet Office should set out the reasons for difficulties recruiting and retaining property professionals and its plans to improve skills and diversity of property professionals across government.
From: Public Accounts Committee, 29th Report - Condition of Government property (HC 641), 11 June 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-ninth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 11 August 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty ninth report from Session 2024-26
Published 18 September 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with the Committee's recommendations in each area of the report, with target implementation dates ranging from autumn 2025 to the 2027-28 annual reports and accounts.
- On reporting backlogs in annual reports and accounts, the government agrees, but says this is "Subject to the Cabinet Office confirming the standard definition and calculation methods"; HM Treasury will "aim to make changes" to the FReM by November 2026.
- On risk analysis in Strategic Asset Management Plans, the government agrees (target: autumn 2026). The Cabinet Office intends to strengthen the position on strategic or major risks as an initial step, then to consult departments on how far explicit portfolio risk analysis "is practicable".
- The Office of Government Property will write to the Committee by April 2026 on support to departments, but states that central support "will be limited" unless departments support the centre to act on their behalf and pool resources.
- The Cabinet Office will write to the Committee no later than October 2025 on longer-term maintenance planning, and by July 2026 on improvement and assessment of departmental plans.