Brexit will overburden civil service, warns spending watchdog

Britain’s departure from the EU will put extra strain on a civil service already struggling to cope with a series of major projects, the National Audit Office has found.

The spending watchdog said weaknesses in Whitehall’s capability undermined the government’s ability to achieve Brexit, with about a third of staff positions unfilled in the Department for Exiting the EU and the Department for International Trade.

As Theresa May prepares to trigger article 50 on 29 March, the report said leaving the EU would “further increase the capability challenges” facing the government as officials took on responsibilities previously handled in Brussels.

The pressures of Brexit come on top of a “challenging portfolio” of major projects such as the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, HS2 high-speed rail and renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent.

“Government projects too often go ahead without government knowing whether departments have the skills to deliver them,” the report said. It suggested projects should be prioritised, with the government halting schemes that it is not confident it can deliver.

The report said that although there had been improvements in how some departments manage programmes, “we continue to report regularly on troubled projects” and “many delivery problems can be traced to weaknesses in capability”.

The NAO said the government needed to show greater urgency in filling skills gaps in Whitehall.

“Government is facing ever-increasing challenges in providing public services. Continuing budgetary restraint is putting pressure on departments, which are already managing important reforms with fewer staff and smaller budgets,” it said.

“The decision to leave the EU also means government will have to take on tasks previously undertaken by others, requiring the development of skills not previously planned for.”

A thousand new roles had been created in the Department for Exiting the EU and the Department for International Trade, but by February only two-thirds of the roles had been filled, mostly by transferring staff from elsewhere in government, the report said.

It estimates the government will need to spend at least £145m a year to hire the 2,000 additional staff with digital skills required within five years.

Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO, said: “Government has gaps in its capability and knows it must do more to develop the skills it needs. It is making plans to do so but the scale of the challenge ahead means greater urgency is needed.

“Without a short-term solution to its capability gaps, government must get better at planning and prioritising its activities and be prepared to stop work on those it is not confident it has the capability to deliver.”

Each department is developing its own Brexit plan as well as supporting Downing Street, the report points out.

In response, Sir Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, said the UK was well placed to deal with the challenges ahead as it prepared for Brexit.

“We are focused on delivering this government’s commitment to leave the EU and get the very best deal for the UK. We are equipping ourselves with the right people and the right skills across government to make this happen,” he said.

“At the same time, the civil service is also working hard to make sure that all the priorities of the government are being delivered.”