Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department issued to Departments on the baseline for bids for the spending review; and whether the effect of additional resources in relation to the UK leaving the EU were included in the calculations for that review.

At launch, the Treasury sent official-level guidance and templates setting out financial and other information required from Departments to make assessments of funding needs.

As at all spending reviews and spending rounds, in Spending Round 2019 baselines have been adjusted to represent ongoing spend, with one-off or time limited spend removed and ongoing spend from the Reserves baselined. This applied to additional resources for leaving the EU that had been provided from the Reserves.