Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Twentieth Report - Whole of Government Accounts 2019–20
Public Accounts Committee
HC 31
Published 14 October 2022
Recommendations
6
Rejected
Government has not yet set out the consequences of announced Civil Service staffing reductions.
Recommendation
Government has not yet set out the consequences of announced Civil Service staffing reductions. In May 2022, the government announced that it intends to cut 91,000 jobs from the civil service over the next three years. The 2021 Spending Review …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to prepare a costed plan based on proposed staffing reductions across government, stating that they will not be publishing a full plan to deliver the previously proposed Civil Service staffing reductions, and will instead focus on departmental efficiency and savings reviews.
HM Treasury
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23
Rejected
In May 2022, the government announced its intention to cut 91,000 jobs from the civil...
Recommendation
In May 2022, the government announced its intention to cut 91,000 jobs from the civil service over the next three years, with the aim of returning to 2016 staffing levels.70 The 2021 Spending Review had already confirmed the need for …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to prepare a clearly articulated and costed plan based on proposed staffing reductions across government, because they have moved away from top-down headcount reduction targets.
HM Treasury
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24
Rejected
Staff cuts will inevitably involve a quantity of associated costs, including redundancy costs, that the...
Recommendation
Staff cuts will inevitably involve a quantity of associated costs, including redundancy costs, that the government will have to pay out. We questioned the Treasury as to what the total cost of these payments was likely to be, and although …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to prepare a clearly articulated and costed plan based on proposed staffing reductions across government, because departments should look for the most effective ways to secure value and maximise efficiency within budgets.
HM Treasury
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Conclusions (3)
25
Conclusion
Rejected
This scale of these proposed cuts has the potential to bring about significant consequences for service delivery, both in regard to the quality and efficiency of delivery and the range of services it will be possible to provide. At the time we took evidence, the Treasury said that no work …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the committee's recommendation. The Prime Minister has confirmed that, rather than a top-down headcount reduction target, departments should look for the most effective ways to secure value and maximise efficiency within budgets. They will not be publishing a full plan to deliver the previously proposed Civil Service staffing reductions.
26
Conclusion
Rejected
The Treasury told us that at this stage the challenge of how best to achieve these reductions is in the hands of individual departments. It explained that each department is itself best placed to understand the resourcing requirements needed to deliver its service programmes and objectives. It told us that …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the premise, stating the Prime Minister has confirmed that departments should look for the most effective ways to secure value and maximise efficiency within budgets, rather than top-down headcount reduction targets.
27
Conclusion
Rejected
We discussed with the Treasury that one way in which headcount reductions might be accomplished whilst at the same time maintaining the scope and standard of service delivery, is by way of increased digitisation. By digitalising services, the required level of staffing is reduced, and cuts can be made in …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the committee's recommendation. The Prime Minister has confirmed that, rather than a top-down headcount reduction target, departments should look for the most effective ways to secure value and maximise efficiency within budgets. They will not be publishing a full plan to deliver the previously proposed Civil Service staffing reductions.