30824 (2023). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for the Public Service

30824 (2023). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Minister for the Public Service: Further to the Minister’s response to written question 28917 (2023); is it the Minister’s expectation that a reduction in staff headcount will occur before the Budget 2024, and if so, what does the Minister expect this reduction to be?

Hon Nicola Willis: As Minister for the Public Service, the main driver of workforce size are budget decisions. Budget decisions from previous years can continue to drive growth over multiple years. Multi-year appropriations can ramp up over the course of the appropriation, or take time to recruit, creating workforce increases in out years. The government has committed to a reduction in public sector expenditure, informed by the increase in headcount since the 2017 growth. Ministers have been asked to identify the most appropriate savings options, focusing on low value programmes, programmes that do not align with the Government’s priorities and non-essential back-office functions including contractor and consultant spend. As I said in my response to WPQ 28917 (2023) I will deliver on these savings through Budget 24.