Public Expenditure
Work and Pensions
Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish a statement of his Department's expenditure in each of the last 36 months; and what steps his Department is taking to avoid an annual under spend.
Chris Grayling (Minister of State (Employment), Work and Pensions; Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
The Department is due to publish its 2011-12 financial results in July this year. The Department's DEL expenditure by month for the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 was as follows:
| £ million | ||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| April | 659 | 781 |
| May | 670 | 790 |
| June | 683 | 776 |
| July | 733 | 744 |
| August | 729 | 752 |
| September | 781 | 760 |
| October | 757 | 717 |
| November | 823 | 786 |
| December | 810 | 657 |
| January | 818 | 703 |
| February | 704 | 715 |
| March | 865 | 988 |
| Total | 9,032 | 9,169 |
The Department performs a continuous planning process involving three major financial reviews during the course of the year. These reviews involve a thorough examination of all operational, administrative and investment expenditure and if potential underspends are identified, then funding is re-prioritised and re-allocated to areas that require additional funding, provided that the funding source is not ring-fenced. If appropriate, the Department also makes use of budget exchange which allows for carry forward of funding within HM Treasury's rules.