Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will provide a list of the expected underspends in (a) his Department and (b) each of his arms-length bodies (i) in the current financial year and (ii) across the Spending Review period.

As the Chancellor set out in her statement on July 29, the government’s spending audit has identified a forecast Resource DEL overspend of £21.9 billion against the plans set out for departments at Spring Budget 2024. This already factors in the Treasury’s assessment of a £7.1bn fallaway over the course of the year, as set out in Table 1 of Fixing the foundations: public spending audit 2024-25.

The government has announced £5.5 billion of savings in 2024-25, bringing the in-year pressures down to £16.4 billion.