Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer Ognian0 has published the first Budget Expenditure Report since the government’s flagship Budget Transparency Act 2026 came into force last month.
The Chancellor said “we aim to establish high standards for this government and future governments to disclose their public expenditure and their handling of public funding.”
The report comes as the Leader of the Opposition, c_4allum warned on Monday that a delay in budget transparency could result in reckless spending.
The report which details the July-August expenditure period finds the National Democrat government has with only minor exemptions in the Ministry of Justice and private funds within the Northern Ireland Office have spent the finance laid out to them efficiently.
The report documents delayed reforms to the Bar Exam as the reasoning for issues with the budget in the Ministry of Justice and recommends that these allocations can be spent justly if proper coordination prior to the passage of a Finance Act is made within the Ministry of Justice.
The Chancellor also recommends that the Public Service Fund be split into different categories, with the ability for excesses to be transferred via a Virement to prevent last minute spending or no spending at all.
You can find the full report from the Treasury here.