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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Public Expenditure

Asked by Neil O'BrienConservativeDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 9 February 2026UIN 110059

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to (a) SOPS 1.1. in the Department's 2024/5 Annual Report, a breakdown of the £209,590,000 spent in gross administration costs on capability and (b) Table 1, Annex A: Common Core Tables in the Department's 2020/21 Annual Report, a breakdown of the £118,965,000 spent on Capability in 2019/20, on what basis there is a difference between the two figures.

Answered by Ian Murray

The 2024-25 outturn for Capability gross administration costs is broken down as below:

Staff costs*

£84.078m

Other operating costs

£43.484m

Purchase of goods and services*

£40.218m

Matrix programme*

£28.295m

Depreciation and other non-cash expenditure

£11.455m

Other costs, including finance costs and grants

£2.059m

Total

£209.590m

*As one of DSIT’s major projects, Matrix programme costs have been presented separately i.e. deducted from other totals above.

2019-20 outturn for the Capability line as shown within the 2020-21 Annual Report and Account was prepared for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, DSIT’s predecessor department. Since then, multiple Machinery of Government (MoG) changes have taken place, resulting in significant movements of policy responsibilities across government departments, including DSIT, DESNZ, DBT, DCMS and the Cabinet Office.

It should be highlighted that the Matrix programme - representing a material element of 2024-25 expenditure has only come into operation in more recent years. For these reasons, the two financial years are therefore not readily comparable.

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