United Kingdom: the Public Accounts Committee and Treasury Minutes

Last checked: 22 October 2026 · By parliament

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee examines the value for money of government projects, programmes and service delivery, drawing on the work of the National Audit Office ¹. Departments reply to its reports through Treasury Minutes, published on GOV.UK ². HM Treasury publishes progress reports on implementation, the latest found dated 4 June 2026 ³. For other select committees, the government has undertaken to reply within two months ⁴. Debates are recorded in Hansard ⁵.

Committee remit: Value for money of government projects, programmes and service delivery ¹
Chair: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP ¹
Reply format: Treasury Minute ²
Latest progress report found: June 2026, published 4 June 2026 ³
Select committee reply undertaking: Within two months of publication ⁴

How the committee works

The Public Accounts Committee is a Commons select committee. It says it examines the value for money of government projects, programmes and service delivery, and that drawing on the work of the National Audit Office it holds government officials to account for the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending ¹. The committee page names Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP as Chair ¹.

Commons committee findings are reported to the House, printed and published on the Parliament website ⁴.

Treasury Minutes

HM Treasury says departments respond to Public Accounts Committee reports through a Treasury Minute. GOV.UK keeps all Treasury Minutes published since 2010 in one collection ². Recent entries include Treasury Minutes for September 2026, published 30 September 2026, and for August 2026, published 2 October 2026 ².

The committee home page shows the status of each response, with a published date or a due date. On the date checked it listed the response on the Access to Work scheme as overdue since 12 August 2026 ¹.

Progress reports

HM Treasury publishes Treasury Minutes progress reports. The June 2026 edition, published 4 June 2026, is described as a record of the government's progress on implementing the committee's recommendations and covers sessions from 2010-12 to 2025-26 ³. Parliament lists the entry for each committee report as a Government Response, for example on the Fifty-first Report of Session 2024-26 ⁶.

Other select committees

For other Commons committees, Parliament says the government has undertaken to reply within two months of a report's publication, usually 60 days for departmental committees, and ministers may ask for more time ⁴. A 2008 Public Administration Select Committee report recorded that some replies arrived far later ⁷.

Where to find documents

Public Accounts Committee reports and response status ¹.
Treasury Minutes on GOV.UK ².
Treasury Minutes progress reports ³.
Hansard for the Commons and Lords, searchable by keyword and date ⁵.

Records on this site

This site's UK records cover Public Accounts Committee recommendations on Test and Trace and on HS2. Each follows the method in How to track a recommendation.

Common questions

What is a Treasury Minute?

The government's written response to a Public Accounts Committee report, published on GOV.UK ².

Who chairs the Public Accounts Committee?

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, according to the committee page ¹.

How does the government report progress?

Through Treasury Minutes progress reports, the latest found published 4 June 2026 ³.

Where is UK Hansard?

At hansard.parliament.uk, which covers the Commons and the Lords ⁵.

Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@parliamentfollowup.org with the official link.

Sources

United Kingdom: Public Accounts Committee report on Test and Trace (2021)
The six recommendations in the Commons Public Accounts Committee's Test and Trace update report of 27 October 2021 and their status in Treasury Minutes.
United Kingdom: Public Accounts Committee report on HS2 after the Northern leg cancellation (2025)
The PAC's February 2025 HS2 report, its eight recommendations, the government's Treasury Minute of May 2025 and where follow-up stands.
How governments respond to committee reports
Treasury Minutes, Treasury Memoranda and other replies: how governments answer parliamentary committee reports, and where to find them.
How to track a recommendation
A step by step method for following one committee recommendation from report to government reply to outcome, with official links for six parliaments.