Departments 'lack finance skills' / BBC, 9 September 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7604557.stm
"The report says more decisions need to be based on financial assessments
Government departments controlling more than £550bn of public money do not have enough staff with good finance skills, a committee of MPs has said. Financial directors have increased but there is a "general lack" of skills among other staff, they said. Only 20% of departments based policy decisions on a "thorough" financial assessment, they added in a report."

Public Accounts Committee, Report 43 Managing financial resources to deliver better public services, HC 519
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmpubacc/519/519.pdf