Public Expenditure: Cost Effectiveness
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving value for money in public spending programmes.
Answered by Lucy Rigby
This government is committed to ensuring that every penny of public money is spent wisely, driving out low value spending and ensuring the state becomes more productive.
At Spending Review 2025, the government announced that it would deliver total annual efficiency gains of almost £14 billion by 2028-29. It published departments’ efficiency targets and plans, allowing external scrutiny and public accountability.
At Budget, the government committed to going further on efficiency and savings by delivering an additional £2.8 billion savings in 2028-29 and £5 billion by 2030-31. Alongside this, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is leading a suite of reviews to drive value for money across government spending.
The government published an updated Green Book in February. This sets out the UK government guidance on appraisal and value for money. The government has also started to publish business cases for major projects, meaning the public can be confident that taxpayers’ money is being spent on projects that deliver best possible value.
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