Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the reasons are for the variation in Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits for the Cabinet Office outlined in his spring statement between 2021-2022 and 2024-2025.

Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits for the Cabinet Office are expected to fall from £1.0bn in 2021-22 to £0.5bn in 2024-25. The primary reasoning for this reduction is the inclusion of time-limited activities in the 2021-22 financial year, in particular, the G7 Summit, held in June 2021 and the COP26 Conference, held in December 2021. These activities combined added some £0.3bn to the department’s costs in 2021-22.

In addition, the 2021-22 financial year continues to include some costs related to the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Latest forecasts indicate that approximately £0.2bn will be incurred in 2021-22 primarily on public information campaigns and cross-government coordination.

Beyond this, the 2021 Spending Review settlement includes efficiencies and cost savings identified by the department which will further reduce Resource costs over the next three years.