Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Charlie Elphicke Excerpts
Wednesday 25th June 2014

(9 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Henry Smith Portrait Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)
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5. What progress he has made on his programme of savings through efficiency and reform of central Government.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)
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7. What estimate he has made of the savings arising from measures to increase departmental efficiency; and if he will make a statement.

Lord Maude of Horsham Portrait The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Francis Maude)
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On 10 June, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor and I announced savings through efficiency reform of central Government of £14.3 billion for 2013-14, against a 2009-10 baseline. Those savings are both recurring and non-recurring items, and include £5.4 billion from procurement and commercial savings, £3.3 billion in project savings and £4.7 billion from work force reform and pension savings.

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Lord Maude of Horsham Portrait Mr Maude
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Moving public services online has a major part to play, both in making services more convenient and designed around the needs of the user rather than the convenience of the Government, and in making major savings. Typically, the cost of an online transaction is about one fiftieth of the cost of the transaction being done face to face, but for those people who are not online there will always be an assisted digital option.

Charlie Elphicke Portrait Charlie Elphicke
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Does the size of the savings being made not highlight the truly galactic waste of money by the previous Labour Government? Will my right hon. Friend set out his vision for further savings in the future?