In delivering public services, some government bodies set and collect fees, charges and levies to recover costs or achieve other goals. The key guidance for managing these charges is laid out in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money.
The National Audit Office in 2025 conducted a study examining how effectively government adheres to Managing Public Money in implementing charges, identifying both good practice and areas of concern. The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee in 2024 looked at government fees charged without clear legal authority, with their report highlighting concerns around transparency. This is the first time the PAC has scrutinised fees and charges separately, and the Committee will hear from senior officials to take forward scrutiny informed by the NAO’s report. Likely case studies will include provision of charges around passports, visas, Companies House fees, driving licence fees, data protection fees, court fees, and gambling licences.
If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 26 June 2025.
Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere.
Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues.