Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on increasing the fund for reparations payments to LGBT+ veterans.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Treasury Ministers regularly meets with Ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of issues. The LGBT Veterans Independent Report recommended a level of funding to be made available for those dismissed or discharged from service as a result of policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces (‘the ban’). The details of the financial recognition scheme recommended by the report are still in development and approval, including the total fund to be made available by MoD in recognition of those dismissed, discharged, or otherwise impacted by the ban. The Scheme details will be announced in Parliament when the Government is ready to publish its response.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of exempting charities from the increase to employer National Insurance contributions.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important role charities play in our society, and has made it a priority to reset the relationship with civil society by developing a Civil Society Covenant.

To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance.

The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of employers with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.

More broadly, within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities, CASCs and their donors in 2023 to 2024.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

2021-22 - The consultancy spend was £17.5m for DCMS core department as can be seen in note 4.3 page 146 of our laid annual report and accounts - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/638883e6d3bf7f3282be4061/DCMS_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2021-22_-_web_accessible_version.pdf

2022-23 - The consultancy spend was £9.1m for DCMS core department as can be seen in note 4.3 page 165 of our laid annual report and accounts - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/656e02469462260705c568ca/E03016038_HC_255_Dept_of_Culture__Media_and_Sport_ARA_2022-23_Accessible.pdf

2023-24 - The consultancy spend was £2.6m for DCMS core department; this is within the total for the DCMS group consultancy spend of £15.2m as can be seen in note 4.3 page 167 of our laid annual report and accounts - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673f1ae44ebce30ac7baf00d/E03231133_DCMS_ARA_2023-24_ACCESSIBLE.pdf

The figures for 2021-22 and 2022-23 are on a pre Machinery of Government basis and therefore included costings for Digital related activities that are transferred to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The figures for consultancy spend after 1 April 2024 will not be available until our 2024-25 accounts have been laid in parliament and published.

The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer.

As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table shows the total departmental spend on consultancy for financial years 2020/2021 to 2023/2024. The total includes the central department (DfTc), Executive Agencies and Arm Length Bodies (ALBs).

Departmental total spend (£)

2020/21 175,720,840

2021/22 198,001,723

2022/23 225,477,742

2023/24 165,372,920

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the amount the Department spent on consultancy fees, each year since 2021:

Source: the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts within the Accountability Report, in the table on expenditure on Consultancy, Agency and Temporary workers.

The value for 2020/21 has been amended from previous Parliamentary Questions as a prior year adjustment for 2020/21 was reflected in the 2021/22 Annual Report and Accounts to account for £17,365,000 for the vaccine taskforce, which was transferred from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, amending the value for 2020/21 from £171,613,000 to £188,978,000. The table excludes the date for 2023/24. Fully audited figures for 2023/24 will be available upon the publication of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The table below gives the overall expenditure on consultancies in the last five financial years by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), On Vote Agencies, Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Other Bodies (such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Royal Hospital Chelsea, the Reserve Forces and Cadet Associations and International Military Services Ltd.).

We have taken immediate action to stop all non-essential government consultancy spending in 2024-25 as part of our commitment to secure value for money for taxpayers, crack down on waste, and get a grip of MOD budgets

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office holds information on consultancy fees and reports this in its Annual Report and Accounts.

Refer to the links and pages below for the available published information that relates to consultancy spending.

Pages 155-157 (Pages 159-161 on the pdf reader) of the 2023-24 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts

Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Pages 173-175 of the 2022-23 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts

Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Pages 107-108 of the the 2022-23 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts

Home_Office_ARA_21-22_Final_-_Gov.uk.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Pages 99-101 of the 2020-21 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts

HO annual report and accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Information relating to financial year 2024-25 will be available following the end of the financial year and once the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts have been laid before Parliament.

Note that the Home Office reports by its financial year (April-March), rather than on a calendar year basis.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was created in February 2023, so no information is held for periods prior to that date.

The Departments spend on Consultancy Fees in financial year 23/24 can be found in the 2023/24 Annual Report, available here.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DSIT was created by a Machinery of Government (MOG) change on 7 February 2023, we have not provided data prior to DSIT becoming a fully operational department. Departmental Group consultancy spend in financial year 23-24, as disclosed in 2023-24 Annual report & Accounts (ARA), was £24.0 million.

We recognise the Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer. As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Per the annual report and accounts published figures, the FCDO has spent the following amounts on consultancy fees since 2021:

• £2.7 million in 20/21
• £5.8 million in 21/22
• £4.3 million in 22/23
• £3.5 million in 23/24
• The reporting for the current financial year, Apr 2024 to Mar 2025, is not available and will be published in due course in 2025.

The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer. As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with the Fire Brigades Union, in the context of the report entitled Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio, published by the National Audit Office on 4 November 2024.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the lead on building remediation and is due to meet the Fire Brigades Union in the new year.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade is a newly formed Department established in February 2023. The new department absorbed the functions of the former Department for International Trade (DIT) and some of the functions of the former Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The amount spent on consultancy by both departments are as follows:

The Department publishes its annual expenditure on consultancy in its Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Expenditure on consultancy is reported each year in the Annual Report and Accounts.

For 2021-22, this is shown on page 111 at

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/635a7f1e8fa8f5653f83f4f0/defra-annual-report-2021-2022.pdf

For 2022-23, this is shown on page 108 at

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/653a9479e6c9680014aa9be8/annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23.pdf

The 2023-24 figures are being audited and are not yet finalised or published.

The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer.

As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer.

As part of this wider mission, the government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

The latest available data that has been audited and published as part of the Group Annual Report and Accounts, is linked below:

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024

The data for post-March 2024 is live and unaudited. Additionally, due to the department’s accruals accounting, the partial year’s data may be incomplete and misleading. Therefore, we are unable to provide data beyond March 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer.

As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.

Figures for consultancy spend are included each year in the Department's annual report. The corresponding figure for FY2024-25 is expected to be published by the end of July 2025.

Details of contracts awarded valued at £10,000 (inc VAT) or more are published on: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions on the voluntary drug and alcohol treatment sector.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl .

The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the National Audit Office's report entitled Managing conflicts of interest, HC 307, published on 22 November 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We are committed to restoring public confidence in government and ensuring that all those in public service are held to the highest standards.

We will consider carefully the National Audit Office’s recommendations in its recent report ‘Managing Conflicts of Interest’.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending reimbursement of employer National Insurance contributions to the voluntary sector.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

At the recent Budget, the government took a number of difficult decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the foundations of the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability.

Ministers have met with representatives from the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector to discuss this issue and the department is aware of their concerns about the impacts of the increase to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change next year.

We are also expanding eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.

The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) for tax policy changes, which give a clear explanation of the policy objective and an assessment of the impacts. The TIIN for the employer NICs changes was published on 13 November 2024.

Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. More than £6 billion in charitable reliefs was provided to charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and their donors in 2023 to 2024. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Dan Carden; Richard Foord

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Aphra Brandreth; Dan Carden; Richard Foord

Submit Evidence (by 31 Dec 2024)

The inquiry will ask how the UK and its allies can help to achieve a ceasefire and lasting end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon.