Best opportunity in many years to scrutinise multi-year Spending Review prompts coordinated action by Select Committees
14 February 2025
The Liaison Committee is encouraging select committees to write to their respective Secretary of State to request additional access to Spending Review submission documentation.
Departmental select committees have a key role in scrutinising the spending plans of government departments. The proposal aims to improve transparency for committees and to facilitate better scrutiny.
The Government is conducting a multi-year Spending Review this year, led by HM Treasury with input from all the major government departments. The conclusion of the review will result in individual spending limits for each government department for at least the next three years.
Most of the recent Spending Reviews have either been rapidly conducted following a general election (2010, 2015) or one year ‘Spending Rounds’ (2013, 2019, 2020) meaning that there has been limited scope for Committee scrutiny.
The Treasury Committee, also chaired by Dame Meg Hillier, takes a lead role in scrutinising spending reviews across the board, but it is for each individual committee to examine the outcome for the departments and public bodies with their remits. In previous years Parliament has not had access or the ability to scrutinise draft government budgets.
Chair comment
The Chair of the Liaison Committee, Dame Meg Hillier MP, said:
“This is the best opportunity in many years for committees to scrutinise, in depth, a multi-year Spending Review at its formative stages. Scrutiny of departmental spending is a core part of the work of select committees. What’s agreed in the Spending Review in 2025 will result in individual spending limits for each government department, with a direct impact on what each department will be able to achieve in the next three years.
“The UK Parliament lags behind other jurisdictions in its ability to scrutinise and influence departmental budgets, and select committees are asking for a greater role in Spending Reviews going forwards. This cross-committee approach will provide a valuable evidence source for select committees, who can question department ministers and officials while the Treasury Committee can question the Treasury directly.”
Further information
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