Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21692 on Public Expenditure, over which financial years the (a) efficiencies and (b) savings target by 2029 relates to; whether the 5% target is for each year or over the whole spending review two period; and how the target interacts with the spending reductions announced at the (i) Fixing the Foundations statement in July 2024, (ii) Autumn Budget 2024 and (iii) phase one of the Spending Review.

To help drive out waste and ensure all funding is focused on the Government’s priorities, all departments are expected to find at least 5% savings and efficiencies from within existing budgets by the end of this SR period (2028/2029).

Any spending reduction announced at the (i) Fixing the Foundations statement in July 2024, (ii) Autumn Budget 2024 and (iii) phase one of the Spending Review that apply to the year 2025/2026 will be captured within the savings and efficiency target of 2% set across all government departments as part of phase one of the Spending Review.