Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the Office for Value for Money plans to scrutinise investment proposals to ensure they offer value for money.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Value for Money will scrutinise investment proposals where it can make the most impact, while avoiding duplication of the work of others. The Office for Value for Money has developed a short set of appraisal criteria to inform its assessment of investment proposals, which it has shared with departments and published [1].
[1] Gov.UK (2025) OVfM Investment appraisal criteria.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments the Office for Value for Money has made of where and how to tackle waste and inefficiency.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Value for Money is working with departments to deliver technical efficiency targets, supported by robust delivery plans. This process seeks to realise efficiencies worth at least 1% of day-to-day spending in each year of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what interventions the Chair of the Office for Value for Money has made to drive better value for money.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Value for Money has an immediate focus on supporting value for money decisions surrounding the spending review, including developing efficiency targets and plans, scrutinising investment proposals and conducting value for money studies. It will also recommend system reforms.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Office for Value for Money has made more savings than it has spent in staffing costs.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Value for Money has an immediate focus on supporting value for money decisions surrounding the spending review, including developing efficiency targets and plans, scrutinising investment proposals and conducting value for money studies. It will also recommend system reforms. The Office for Value for Money will publish its budget for 2024-25 with HM Treasury’s annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been saved by the Office for Value for Money since it was established.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Value for Money has an immediate focus on supporting value for money decisions surrounding the spending review, including developing efficiency targets and plans, scrutinising investment proposals and conducting value for money studies. It will also recommend system reforms.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), why data on senior civil servants registering for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted 12 months after the initiative ended given that the technical report on the evaluation states on page 17 that data would be securely stored for three years before being destroyed.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The privacy statement for the One Big Thing 2023 online platform stated that all personal data collected via the online platform would be deleted within 12 months of the initiative ending. The definition of personal data included the grades of individuals who registered to the Platform. The reference on data storage on page 17 in the technical report was therefore an error, which we will seek to correct.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report published on 30 January, whether the figures in the report were based on actual registration data or another methodology.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Figures in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report were based on actual registrations to the online platform for One Big Thing 2023. Therefore figures did not include any civil servants who engaged with One Big Thing 2023 components without registering on the online platform.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), (1) on what date the data on senior civil servants who registered for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted, (2) whether any data was retained beyond the stated 12-month period, and (3) how the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report, published on 30 January, included detailed registration figures by department if the data had been deleted before that point.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Data collected via the One Big Thing 2023 online platform was deleted by 31 December 2024, in line with the platform’s privacy statement. Beyond 31 December 2024, we retained aggregated data on overall registrations and % registrations by department.
The analysis reported in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report was completed before the data was deleted but publication was delayed due to various factors including the General Election.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many policy reviews and consultations the Cabinet Office has launched since the General Election on 4 July 2024; what the subject of each review is; and what the anticipated timescales are for their completion.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Following the election, this Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament.
As the House would expect, Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.
Public reviews will be available on gov.uk as they are published.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 6 March (HL4299), whether the Government Art Collection has a different public interest threshold for disclosure depending on which department administers the premises in which works are displayed; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lady to my answer of 6 March 2025 (UIN HL4299). Information requests are considered on their individual merits on a case-by-case basis.