The FDA has responded to the 2025 Spending Review, expressing disappointment at the lack of a civil service workforce plan, which the government had previously said would be published at the same time as the review.
FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said:
“As the Chancellor outlined many times in her speech, today’s announcements are hers and the government’s choices – elected governments are free to make decisions around funding for departments – but cuts of this size and speed will have a significant impact on what the civil service is able to deliver for ministers and the country. The Chancellor needs to ensure that the commitments that she has today made to the country will match the resources available within public services.
“That’s why it’s disappointing to see the civil service strategic workforce plan, promised at the same time as the Spending Review, will now not be published until later this year. This lack of detail leaves civil servants with more questions than answers as to how these cuts are to be implemented.”
Prior to the details of the review being released, Penman appeared on the BBC News Business Today programme, calling on the government to make clear its priorities and provide the civil service with the resources to match them, saying:
“A spending round is all about priorities. You can’t just look at one side of the equation on numbers, those have to match what government’s commitments are. The civil service needs a clear plan on how it will deliver the government’s programme with the resources it’s allocated.”
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
The FDA’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has written to Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, asking him to remind MLAs that when officials appear before the Assembly, impartiality must not be brought into question.
If Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants a different political culture, he needs to start with the Ministerial Code says Dave Penman.
