Budget: Efficiency Savings

Question

Asked by

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of the £11 billion of efficiency savings announced in the 2010 Budget to be achieved by 2012–13, detailing each item forecast to save more than £25 million. [HL3181]

The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners)
Budget 2010 announced further detail of £11 billion of cross-cutting efficiency savings to be delivered by 2012-13. This includes:

£8 billion from the operational efficiency programme;
 

at least £500 million from reforming and rationalising arm’s-length bodies;
 

over £650 million from reducing departmental consultancy spend by 50 per cent and departmental marketing and communications spend by 25 per cent;
 

£500 million from reducing spending on IT programmes across government;
 

£300 million from increasing energy efficiency across the public sector;
 

£140 million from reducing the cost of the Senior Civil Service by 20 per cent and reducing sickness absence in the public sector, and
 

at least £600 million from making better use of telephony and e-channels.
 

Alongside the Budget, departmental press notices have broken down each department’s share towards the £11 billion and contain further details of how these savings will be delivered.