Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Spending: Value for Money

Tuesday 9 May 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister for public spending oversees budgeting system to maximize value for taxpayers' money.
  • Government declined to stop spending public money on focus groups that assessed public opinion of the then Chancellor.
  • Minister stated that priority during the covid crisis was to quickly distribute PPE to frontline workers, acknowledging some instances of fraud.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nick Smith Lab Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
Economy
Context

The MP is concerned about ensuring value for money in public spending.

Question

What steps he is taking to ensure value for money in public spending.

Answer from John Glen

As the Minister for public spending, I oversee the Government's budgeting system, and a key element of that is incentivising Departments to manage spending effectively so that value for taxpayers' money is maximised. That is why the Government launched an efficiency and savings review at the autumn statement 2022. Through the review, Departments re-prioritised and identified further efficiencies, building on the 5% efficiency challenge set out in the spending review 2021, to better deliver value for money for the taxpayer.

Answered
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Q2 Afzal Khan Lab Manchester Rusholme
Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP is questioning the government's use of public funds for focus groups related to the Prime Minister.

Question

The then Chancellor, now Prime Minister, spent £1.3 million of public money on focus groups, which included asking what the public thought of him. Following the public's resounding rejection of the Tories in last week's elections, we now know what the public think of him. Will the Government stop wasting taxpayers' money to boost the Prime Minister's ego, do the right thing and call a general election?

Answer from John Glen

No.

How: No

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Q3 Nick Smith Lab Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
NHS
Context

The MP is concerned about the misuse of £7.9 billion in PPE procurement during the pandemic.

Question

Some £7.9 billion was wasted on useless and overpriced personal protective equipment; meanwhile, opportunists who saw the Tories coming are now profiteering on the back of the public purse. Does the Minister regret that this money was not spent wisely? Nearly £8 billion could buy us 20 new hospitals.

Answer from John Glen

Our priority was clear throughout the covid crisis, and that was to get PPE to the frontline as quickly as possible. Due diligence was carried out on all companies that were referred to the Department. Despite all those steps being taken, some instances of fraud did occur with unscrupulous suppliers taking advantage of the situation. This Government take that fraud seriously, and the Department of Health and Social Care is exploring every available option to bring those who commit fraud to account.

Partly answered
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Q4 Tulip Siddiq Lab Hampstead and Highgate
Taxation
Context

The MP is questioning the government's decision during the pandemic to redeploy HMRC staff, leading to a loss of £9 billion in tax revenue.

Question

Last week, the Public Accounts Committee revealed that our country lost £9 billion-worth of tax revenue during the pandemic because HMRC redeployed 4,000 staff members whose jobs were to chase down tax avoiders. The Prime Minister was Chancellor at the time and presumably signed off that decision. Can the Minister tell me whether the Prime Minister did that as a deliberate act to give the green light to tax avoiders, or is it just another example of Tory incompetence?

Answer from John Glen

I think that is a ridiculous suggestion, to be honest. HMRC received £863 million to modernise the tax system, and that included £136 million invested over the spending period to deliver improvements in terms of a single customer record and account. On what happened over covid, I have already set out the investment we made, including the £100 million in the taxpayer protection taskforce.

How: I Think That Is A Ridiculous Suggestion, To Be Honest.

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