§ 40. Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made through his Department's initiatives in obtaining best value for money in central Government expenditure.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy Department co-ordinates a wide range of initiatives to improve value for money across Government, including the citizens charter, next steps, and competing for quality programmes. They have played their part in achieving a reduction in civil service numbers of nearly 30,000 since 1990, with savings of £150 million now estimated from the competing for quality initiative alone.