The Department failed to provide adequate oversight to its arm’s length bodies (ALBs) and NHS trusts. Guidance issued by Civil Service Human Resources in December 2020 to accounting officers warned that novel financing arrangements, including salary advance schemes, required caution, and needed departmental accounting officer and HM Treasury approvals. The Department has indicated that owing to an oversight, it only recently cascaded the advice to its ALBs. The Department argues that it would...

The Department failed to provide adequate oversight to its arm’s length bodies (ALBs) and NHS trusts. Guidance issued by Civil Service Human Resources in December 2020 to accounting officers warned that novel financing arrangements, including salary advance schemes, required caution, and needed departmental accounting officer and HM Treasury approvals. The Department has indicated that owing to an oversight, it only recently cascaded the advice to its ALBs. The Department argues that it would not be normal practice for it to disseminate such advice to NHS trusts, because they are not ALBs of the Department, and so the guidance was not passed Type: conclusion | Number: 4 | Response status: under_consideration Government response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 4.2 The Public Contract Regulations apply to all public sector contracting authorities, including NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts. The Cabinet Office formulates public p