Guidance for submitting Spending Review representations
Updated 21 July 2015
© Crown copyright 2015
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2015-a-country-that-lives-within-its-means/guidance-for-submitting-spending-review-representations
1. What is a Spending Review representation?
The Spending Review is a review of all public spending to ensure it meets the government’s priorities in an efficient and cost-effective way.
A Spending Review representation is a written representation from an interest group, individual or representative body to HM Treasury with the aim of suggesting new ideas for policies or reforms for inclusion as part of the Spending Review.
If you have a question or comment that is not a Spending Review representation, please contact the Central Enquiries Unit.
2. What to include in your representation
In order to inform the Spending Review process, your representation should contain spending and policy suggestions and explain the rationale, costs, benefits and deliverability of proposals. Your representation should also be evidence based, outlining how it contributes to the aims of the Spending Review.
You may wish to consider Spending Review 2015 launch document in outlining your proposal. This sets out the government’s priorities for the Spending Review, including the areas that will be protected and the principles that will guide spending decisions.
In developing your proposals, you may also wish to consider:
- likely effectiveness and feasibility
- public spending implications and value for money
- wider macroeconomic implications (for economic stability and growth)
- legislative and operational requirements
- sectoral and distributional impacts
- administrative and compliance costs and issues
HM Treasury will not consider representations which are not practicable and/or that violate HM Treasury’s legal obligations, including but not limited to State aid, human rights and diversity.
HM Treasury will delete representations which are inappropriate or offensive.
3. How to submit your representation
Please send your representation to: Spending Review Representations by Friday 4 September 2015. When successfully submitted you should receive an auto-reply as confirmation that we have received your representation.
Should you be unable to submit your representation online, you can send it by post to:
The Correspondence and Enquiry Unit
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
It should be noted that representations will not receive a bespoke written reply.
4. Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Your Spending Review representation will be processed in accordance to the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of informing the Spending Review process. The information you provide may be subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). For example, we may receive a request to release representations or be asked for the number of representations. Under FOIA we would expect to release the contents of Spending Review representations while protecting the personal details of individuals. Names of companies or organisations, and of individuals representing organisations, are not personal data and so would be released.
5. Freedom of Information contact
Any Freedom of Information Act queries should be directed to:
Correspondence and Enquiry Unit, 2/W1 Freedom of Information Section HM Treasury 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 1HQ
Tel: 020 7270 5000
Email: Central Enquiries Unit