The People's Chamber
ISSUE 78
JUN 5-11, 2026
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Departmental spending, by total DEL

£561 bn in Total Departmental Expenditure Limits across 16 of the 24 ministerial departments, FY 2026-27 plans. Department of Health and Social Care alone is 40% of it.

Source: HM Treasury Main Estimates, Departmental DEL tables. Refreshed once per year (late April / mid-May). DEL = Departmental Expenditure Limit. AME (Annually Managed Expenditure, e.g. welfare in DWP, debt interest in HMT) is much larger and is not included in the ranking here.

  1. 01Department of Health and Social Care£226 bn↑ 2.0%
  2. 02Department for Education£102 bn↓ 6.4%
  3. 03Ministry of Defence£65 bn↓ 7.6%
  4. 04Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government£33 bn↑ 19.5%
  5. 05Department for Transport£30 bn↓ 28.1%
  6. 06Home Office£22 bn↑ 0.2%
  7. 07Department for Science, Innovation and Technology£16 bn↑ 2.5%
  8. 08Ministry of Justice£15 bn↑ 0.1%
  9. 09Department for Work and Pensions£15 bn↑ 30.2%
  10. 10Department for Energy Security and Net Zero£11 bn↓ 21.0%
  11. 11Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office£9.4 bn↓ 22.2%
  12. 12Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs£7.6 bn↓ 7.8%
  13. 13Department for Business and Trade£3.2 bn↓ 9.9%
  14. 14Department for Culture, Media and Sport£2.3 bn↓ 6.1%
  15. 15Cabinet Office£1.8 bn↑ 10.4%
  16. 16HM Treasury£1.3 bn↑ 0.3%

Not in Mains DEL

These departments are either bundled into a Mains aggregate (“Law Officers' Departments”, “Small and Independent Bodies”) or fall outside the HM Treasury Estimates altogether (the two House of Parliament leaderships).

  • Attorney General's OfficeBundled into Mains "Law Officers' Departments" with the Advocate General; per-office figures need each office's Main Estimates Memorandum.
  • Scotland OfficeBundled into Mains "Small and Independent Bodies"; not separately disclosed in the headline DEL tables (NB this is the UK government office, not the Scottish Government).
  • Wales OfficeBundled into Mains "Small and Independent Bodies"; not separately disclosed in the headline DEL tables (NB this is the UK government office, not the Welsh Government).
  • Northern Ireland OfficeBundled into Mains "Small and Independent Bodies"; not separately disclosed in the headline DEL tables (NB this is the UK government office, not the NI Executive).
  • Office of the Leader of the House of CommonsNot in HM Treasury Main Estimates; House of Commons running costs sit inside the Administration and Members estimates.
  • Office of the Leader of the House of LordsNot in HM Treasury Main Estimates; House of Lords running costs sit inside the House of Lords estimate.
  • Office of the Advocate General for ScotlandBundled into Mains "Law Officers' Departments"; the Advocate General for Scotland's share is not separately disclosed.
  • UK Export FinanceBundled into Mains "Small and Independent Bodies"; UK Export Finance figures sit in its own Annual Report and Accounts.