Charlie Dewhirst

Decisions on the future size of the Civil Service will form a part of the comprehensive Spending Review.

As the Chancellor announced on 29 July, the government will review the cost of the political system, which includes eligibility for ministerial severance payments. The Cabinet Office will conduct this review which will take place ahead of the Spending Review.

A review of planned government communications and marketing is currently in progress.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has set out this Government’s commitment to reducing consultancy spend across Government by 50%.

Departments set out their spend on consultants in their Annual Reports and Accounts (ARAs).

Details of all communications activity expenditure for departments is not held centrally.

We will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness for farmers. We recognise that fairness in the supply chain is critical for farmers across all sectors. We want all farmers to get a fair price for their products and are committed to tackle contractual unfairness where it exists.

We will continue the work closely with the pig sector, and all farming sectors, on the best way to achieve this.

Defra and its agencies keep the spread of African swine fever (ASF) under continuous review and is prepared to rapidly implement import restrictions based on changing scientific and risk data. A finding of ASF in a wild boar in western Germany in 2024 represented a further move in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the latest Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessment from June 2024 for more detail: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/667444bb64e554df3bd0dbed/Update_ASF_in_Europe_35.pdf).

UK safeguard measures are in place prohibiting live pigs, wild boar, or pork products from affected EU areas from entering Great Britain. There is also enforcement carried out by Border Force and Port Health Authority officers at seaports and airports.

To further safeguard Britain's biosecurity and pig industry, travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork products weighing over two kilograms into Great Britain, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards and commercially packaged with an identification mark. These measures help limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into Great Britain through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles.

The previous Government made a number of funding commitments in the Network North Command Paper and these will be examined closely by my Government in the coming months.

Lot four of the Consultancy and Advisory Services framework agreement for communications, engagement, and research services, managed by NHS Shared Business Services and announced on 20 August 2024, has an estimated value of £45 million, which is the maximum amount expected to be spent against this lot. The framework is available for use by the National Health Service and all United Kingdom public sector bodies outside of the NHS.

The document, Fixing the foundations: Public spending audit 2024-25, published by HM Treasury, set out the request for departments to identify savings. The Department is exploring options across all budgets within its remit to identify savings to contribute to pressures revealed in the audit document. This includes, but is not exclusive to, taking action to reduce non-essential consultancy and communications spending.

The Department is exploring options across all budgets within its remit to identify savings to contribute to pressures revealed in the audit, as outlined in HM Treasury’s document entitled Fixing the foundations: Public spending audit 2024-25. This includes, but is not exclusive to, taking action to reduce non-essential consultancy and communications spending.

Pay for civil servants outside of the Senior Civil Service is not set centrally; rather, departments and bodies have freedom to make decisions on pay within the parameters of the Pay Remit Guidance published annually by the Cabinet Office. The Pay Remit Guidance for 2024/5 can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pay-remit-guidance-2024-to-2025/civil-service-pay-remit-guidance-2024-to-2025

The pay remit sets a percentage maximum by which bodies can increase their average paybill. Each department will need to consider how they intend to apply the award to their workforce, before implementing it. The final cost of the civil service pay award for 2024/25 and estimates for 2025/26 will not be confirmed until this is concluded.

Data on the size of the Civil Service is available through the ONS Public Sector Employment publication, and can be found using the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel

Pay for most frontline workforces - including nurses, teachers, armed forces and police officers - is set through an independent Pay Review Body (PRB) process. The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people; the financial circumstances of Government; the Government's policies for improving public services; and the Government's inflation target. They consider the whole remuneration package of those working in the public sector when forming their recommendations, including pensions.

The impact of both the junior doctors’ pay offer and the public sector pay awards announced on 29 July 2024 is expected to be limited.

The Office for Value for Money (OVfM) will have two primary roles. First, to provide targeted interventions, working with departments, so that value for money governs every decision government makes. Second, to recommend system reforms to ensure any changes support the government’s missions and deliver value for money.

The OVfM will be a time-limited team. No final decision has been taken on when to disband the office, but its vision is to leave a legacy of concrete, embedded improvements to spending controls, to minimise the risk of poor value for money in the future.

The Office for Value for Money (OVfM) is staffed by civil servants with a range of professional disciplines, from within HM Treasury and other partner organisations. In line with Civil Service expectations, staff will spend 60% of their time working from the office.

The OVfM is a time-limited team within HM Treasury. We expect around 20 staff to be working within the office.