Statement made by , Chief Secretary to the
Treasury
Business cases form the basis of UK public spending decisions.
They underpin the allocation and approval of billions of pounds
of public expenditure and are essential for ensuring this
expenditure demonstrates value for money.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to increasing the
transparency of investment decisions by publishing business cases
for major projects and programmes. Greater transparency around
investment decisions can support the evaluation of projects and
programmes, inform subsequent analysis, and enable better
allocation decisions over time. Sharing best practice also helps
to build capability, which in turn leads to better outcomes for
project delivery and the public.
As of 11 June 2025, all projects and programmes on the Government
Major Projects Portfolio are required to publish a Summary
Business Case, Full Business Case or Programme Business Case
within 4 months of HM Treasury approval. The Treasury has
published guidance to support departments in meeting this
requirement.
To facilitate transparency and ease the process of ensuring these
important documents are made available to the House, I am making
a commitment on behalf of Government that all business cases
published as a result of this requirement be placed in the House
of Commons Library. This commitment will allow departments to
meet their obligations to Parliament easily and promptly.
I have also asked the Treasury Officer of Accounts to write to
all accounting officers to instruct them to ensure that all
relevant business cases are properly deposited. The public will
be able to access these documents via GOV.UK or the relevant
body's website.[1]
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/business-case-publications-collection
