The Commons Public Accounts Committee publishes its 49th report of session 2010-12, on the basis of evidence from the Cabinet Office.

The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said: "The Efficiency and Reform Group, created initially to lead the drive to cut government spending by £6 billion in 2010-11, has made a good start, but a lot of that is down to key players in government pulling in the same direction with a high profile target in mind. In the long term there will need to be a much deeper change in the cultural and institutional structure of government.

The Group reported to us that its actions have so far led to £3.75 billion worth of efficiency savings. Sustaining these savings will be a challenge, requiring senior civil servants to strengthen their implementation and project management skills.

We welcome the level of detail in the Group's reported savings. This degree of transparency is a big improvement on the very poor standard of reporting by departments.