Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much public money was spent by his Department on (a) internal staff costs, (b) external consultancy and (c) stakeholder engagement relating to the review of the effectiveness of the Office of Tax Simplification on 28 November 2021.

Finance Act 2016 requires HM Treasury to review and publish a report every five years on the effectiveness of the Office of Tax Simplification. The first review was published on 28 November 2021 and was conducted in line with Cabinet Office guidance on reviewing Arm’s Length Bodies, as set out in the Public Bodies Review Programme.

A wide range of external stakeholders were consulted throughout the review, but no external consultancy services were used. The Government does not hold information regarding the internal staffing costs of conducting the review.