Public Expenditure
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what actions she is taking in response to the Comptroller & Auditor General's disclaimed opinion on the 2024-25 Whole of Government accounts.
Answered by Lucy Rigby
HM Treasury recognises the seriousness of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s disclaimed opinion on the 2024-25 Whole of Government Accounts and is taking action in three key areas:
- Addressing the root cause – local audit system issues:
o The disclaimer reflects systemic issues in the local government audit market, including delays in audited accounts and a lack of audit assurance.
o Government is progressing wider audit system reforms and legislation to restore local audit capacity and timeliness, which are critical to resolving the underlying cause.
- Improving completeness and transparency of WGA data:
o HM Treasury has reduced the level of missing data in 2024‑25, while continuing to include available (including unaudited) data to maximise transparency to Parliament.
o This reflects a deliberate approach to ensure WGA remains a comprehensive and timely picture of the public finances, even while wider audit issues are being resolved.
- Driving recovery and restoring full audit assurance
o The 2024‑25 WGA represents the final year of the recovery plan, with actions already taken to return reporting timetables to normal and support improved data submission.
o For future years, the Government will continue to work across departments and local government authorities to restore full audit assurance to WGA over time, recognising this as a priority for accountability and scrutiny.
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