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Committee publication · Correspondence · 6 January 2026

Letter from Cat Little CB, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary and Conrad Smewing, Director General Public Spending HM Treasury on outcome delivery, dated 12.12.25

From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Inquiry: The work of the Cabinet Office

Summary

Cat Little (Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary) and Conrad Smewing (HM Treasury Director General) update the PACAC on progress toward a new planning and performance framework. The government has committed to publishing departmental outcomes and first annual strategic plans in Spring 2026, fulfilling a Spending Review 2025 pledge. This framework supports delivery of the Plan for Change and Pride in Place priorities.

Key findings

  • Government committed in Spending Review 2025 to publish a new planning and performance framework by Budget 2025 to support business planning for 2026-27 and public transparency.
  • Departments will publish outcomes funded at Spending Review 2025 and first annual strategic plans in Spring 2026.
  • Framework focuses on citizen-centred outcome-based delivery aligned with government priorities and transformational civil service reform.
  • Publication of outcomes and plans addresses recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee's February 2024 report on cross-government working.
  • Departments have developed delivery plans based on government priorities; 2024/25 delivery set out in Annual Reports and Accounts.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

public-financegovernment-performancecivil-service-reformpublic-transparency

Key actors

Catherine Little CB, Conrad Smewing, Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Comptroller and Auditor General

Notable line

“… the government remains committed to a citizen-focused outcome-based framework that supports the delivery of the government's main priorities, the Plan for Change and Pride in Place.”

Key Quotes

“… a new planning and performance framework, to be published by Budget 2025 to support business planning for 2026-27 and public transparency”
— Catherine Little CB and Conrad Smewing · restating Spending Review 2025 commitment
“… the government remains committed to a citizen-focused outcome-based framework that supports the delivery of the government's main priorities, the Plan for Change and Pride in Place.”
— Catherine Little CB and Conrad Smewing · characterising the framework's purpose
“… departments will publish the outcomes that were funded at Spending Review 2025, and the first in a set of annual strategic plans, in Spring”
— Catherine Little CB and Conrad Smewing · announcing publication timeline
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗