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Progress report identifies significant savings

Thursday, 7 June 2018

Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan MHK will present an update on the Securing Added Value and Efficiencies (SAVE) programme at the June sitting of Tynwald. 

The report outlines the projects that are being progressed as part of the drive to achieve savings of £15 million by 2022/23. It also identifies further work streams that are under way to reform public services, generate new efficiencies and deliver significant cost reductions in the future. 

The SAVE programme is one strand of the overall approach to maintaining a financially responsible Government while providing sustainable public services that meet the needs of the community. 

The initiative was announced during the 2017 Budget and an appeal for ideas attracted an overwhelming response from the public, with more than 1,300 suggestions logged on an online ideas hub. 

Every submission was reviewed by the SAVE programme board and several ideas were taken forward for consideration by the Council of Ministers. 

External consultants researched and evaluated a number of the shortlisted projects to enable decisions to be informed by independent, objective and evidence-based analysis. 

Minister Cannan said:

‘The SAVE initiative was inspired by a clear need to achieve direct budgetary savings during the term of this Government and a desire to deliver a comprehensive and coordinated programme of reform. The report being submitted to Tynwald identifies the first steps in our efforts to secure savings of £15 million over the next five years. There is much more to come from the SAVE programme and further updates will be provided in the future.’ 

He added:

‘The SAVE projects will be progressed alongside the considerable amount of other work already taking place to ensure Government is run as efficiently as possible, including the fundamental review of our health and social care system.’ 

The SAVE progress report outlines savings of more than £6 million to be achieved through the creation of a Public Defender Scheme, the consolidation of higher education services and the implementation of an integrated transport strategy across the bus and rail network. 

Other projects will be progressed to lock in additional savings and efficiencies in the years ahead, including the modernisation of the budgeting process and the extension of Government shared services. 

Mr Cannan commented:

‘SAVE is central to our commitment to reform public services and provide greater value for the people of the Island. There are many challenges and opportunities ahead and we cannot afford to relax our efforts.’ 

Further information, including the responses to people’s ideas, is available on the SAVE webpage and the Isle of Man Dialogue site.

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