How Whitehall departments lost £5.1bn last year – including £6m spent by the Ministry of Defence on earplugs which were not fit for purpose

‘Whitehall departments made losses of £5.1billion last year through errors, fees and buying unused equipment – including £6 million spent by the Ministry of Defence on earplugs found to be not fit for purpose, according to a new report.

More than half of the losses have been attributed to the MoD, where a total of £3.1bn was lost including £7.2m spent on mine detection capabilities for Warrior vehicles which were also found unsuitable and a further £4m following the early withdrawal from service of Sea King helicopters, the Taxpayers’ Alliance report has claimed.

Other losses highlighted include £255m for written-off vaccines in the Department of Health and a cost of £1.2m to the Department of Education after a school made a payment that went to the wrong bank account.’

Read more: How Whitehall departments lost £5.1bn last year – including £6m spent by the Ministry of Defence on earplugs which were not fit for purpose