What do these figures represent?

These figures represent our best assessment of Government's progress against meeting the above objectives.

Government has worked hard to put in place strong benefits statements that provide as accurate an estimate as possible of the impact of our work, accurately positioned. However, these savings figures are not national or official statistics; they are management information evidenced, normally, by department reports; and they have been assured by our internal auditors.

These figures reflect genuine reductions in cash spent. Where these reductions are "one-off and do not recur, there is an associated programme of work to embed longer term change throughout this parliament.