The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found that the Home Office failed to adequately address the risk of exploitation and non-compliance under the skilled worker visa scheme, particularly in the care sector. In its 4 July 2025 report, the PAC criticises the department for failing to prevent abuse following the scheme’s 2022 expansion to support adult social care, highlighting serious weaknesses in safeguarding, compliance monitoring, and tracking of visa expiries. While the expansion helped alleviate workforce shortages during the pandemic, it also exposed migrant workers to exploitation, with evidence submitted to the inquiry detailing cases of debt bondage, excessive working hours and poor living conditions. Despite early signs of abuse, the Home Office was slow to respond and does not hold data on how many visa holders have been identified as potential victims of modern slavery. The PAC further found that the department lacks key data on visa compliance, including whether workers leave the UK at the end of their stay, are re-sponsored, or remain unlawfully, and has not analysed exit check data since the route’s introduction. In light of the recent decision to end overseas recruitment for care workers, the PAC warns of further risks unless cross-government workforce strategies are coordinated and calls for a joined-up approach to tackling exploitation and addressing domestic skills shortages.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a report criticising the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for failing to take urgent action to address the significant backlog in Crown Court cases. The report highlights the severe impact of these delays on victims of crime and their families, particularly those involved in rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) and violent crimes. The backlog has resulted in a record high of 73,105 cases, with the prison population on remand awaiting trial reaching its highest level in 50 years.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has opened an inquiry into the UK's skilled worker visa system, calling for evidence until 24 April 2025. The inquiry follows a National Audit Office (NAO) report examining the visa route's effectiveness since its 2020 introduction. The investigation will focus on spring 2024 eligibility requirement changes, digital system updates, and compliance mechanisms. In 2023-24, the system processed 230,500 applications, generating £438m in visa fees. The NAO found that while the route supports employer recruitment, the impact of 2024 requirement changes across industries remains unassessed.

The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) has published a report examining the rising costs of clinical negligence, setting out a series of detailed recommendations aimed at addressing long-standing issues. It criticises the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England for failing to take meaningful action despite repeated warnings. The Committee finds that clinical negligence liabilities have reached £60bn in 2024–25, with annual settlement costs of £3.6bn. It recommends that the DHSC produce a clear operational plan to reduce claim volumes and costs and publish David Lock KC’s review within six months of its completion. The PAC also calls for a national framework to improve patient safety, reforms to the NHS complaints system to increase local resolution, improved tracking of the costs of avoidable harm and updates on NHS progress in implementing the Dash Review and assessing the impact of abolishing the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a report finding that nearly 800 vulnerable children—around one in ten in residential care—were placed in illegal homes in September 2024, suggesting shortcomings in England’s residential care system. The report highlights prolonged stays in settings not registered with Ofsted, often averaging six months, exposing children to risks due to a lack of oversight. It also points to regional shortages of suitable placements and rising costs driven by competition between local authorities in a dysfunctional market. In addition, the PAC raises concerns about high profits and limited financial transparency among private-equity-owned providers, urging the Department for Education (DfE) to strengthen oversight and expand appropriate placements.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a report examining HM Treasury’s (HMT) plans to enhance the governance of mega-projects. While the PAC warns that critical programmes may be excluded, it supports HMT’s commitment to increasing oversight for projects valued at over £10bn. The PAC also warns that only three projects—HS2, Sizewell C and the Dreadnought submarine programme—qualify under current criteria, leaving major programmes like Euston Station and the New Hospitals Programme under previous arrangements. The PAC calls on HMT to set out the rationale behind its mega-project criteria while raising concerns about coordination between new Mission Boards and reduced independent scrutiny following the National Infrastructure Commission’s integration into government.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found that the asylum system is under significant strain, with substantial policy and operational changes being implemented without adequate control over delivery risks, costs, or system-wide impacts. In its report, PAC notes that the Home Office is only aware of the locations of the ‘vast majority’ of failed asylum seekers and highlights that 41% of asylum claims from January 2023 remain unresolved. The report urges the government to provide estimates of the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK and to set out likely removal timescales. It further calls for the establishment of an end-to-end accountability framework, a long-term asylum accommodation strategy developed in collaboration with local authorities, a shared evidence base across departments, and enhanced measures to address accommodation contract oversight, illegal working risks and barriers to case progress.

The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) has published its Twenty-Seventh Report of Session 2024–25, finding major weaknesses in government digital procurement despite annual spending of at least £14bn. It warns of insufficient expertise, unclear accountability, and inadequate data collection, and makes six recommendations requiring responses from the Cabinet Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) by autumn 2025.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a report on the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) 2023-2024 accounts, highlighting concerns over the planned abolition of NHS England (NHSE). The report notes the absence of a clear implementation plan for centralising NHSE functions into DHSC, while also revealing that clinical negligence provisions have reached £58.2bn. Legal fees account for 19% (£536m) of the £2.8bn paid to claimants in 2023-2024. The report also criticises the UKHSA's Harlow laboratory development, where costs have increased from £530m to £3.2bn.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a report examining NHS England’s post-COVID recovery plans for elective care, despite £3.24bn spent on diagnostic and surgical transformation, the report found that millions of patients are on waiting lists, with significant delays continuing across diagnostic and treatment services. It highlights concerns over the lack of clear, outcome-based funding and warns that billions of pounds in unfunded commitments, coupled with poorly planned structural reforms—including NHS England’s integration into the Department of Health and Social Care and reductions to local health board capacity—risk undermining patient care and worsening delays. The PAC urges NHS England to prioritise patient outcomes, conduct detailed cost and impact assessments, and develop a robust strategy to maximise the use of new diagnostic and surgical hubs to ensure that funding translates into measurable improvements in care delivery.

The Committee of Public Accounts (PAC) has found that the Cabinet Office lacks accurate and consistent data on government consultancy spending, with departments not complying with requirements on reporting or internal controls. The report highlights risks of under‑ or over‑reporting due to inconsistent definitions and mixed contracts, casting doubt on the government’s plan to halve consultancy spending by 2026 and save £1.2bn. It also notes that the forthcoming strategic workforce plan could help departments reduce reliance on external consultants by identifying skills gaps and guiding resource allocation.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found that the Cabinet Office has failed to demonstrate effective management of the outsourced administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which covers 1.7 million members and liabilities of £189bn. The report identified persistently poor customer service under current administrator MyCSP, long delays in remedying age discrimination affecting thousands of pensioners, and serious risks to the transition of administration to Capita in December 2025, with key milestones already missed. It criticised the Cabinet Office’s weak contract oversight, limited enforcement of performance standards, and inadequate planning to ensure sufficient staffing and continuity of service. The PAC further raised concerns about the lack of union recognition during staff transfers, a restricted supplier market limiting value for money, and the absence of a clear strategy for future pension administration, recommending that the government consider bringing the scheme back in-house to safeguard service quality and accountability.