The Crown Prosecution Service
CPS 2023-24 Business Plan

The summary below sets out the key elements of the CPS expenditure as well as some high-level information on the types of spending indicated. 

Our expenditure for 2023/24 is financed from CPS’s Spending Review settlement from HM Treasury and income.

The table above sets out the CPS’s funding for 2023/24, expressed as Resource spending (RDEL), Capital (CDEL) and Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). 

Resource spending (RDEL) is money that is spent on day-to-day resources and administration costs. It includes the hire of agents, prosecution costs, costs of confiscating the proceeds of crime, capacity building in the criminal justice system, support of voluntary sector organisations within the criminal justice system and depreciation. The RDEL funding is shown net of income, including that arising from costs awarded to the CPS in court or received through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme. We use a detailed activity-based costing model to assess required resources to meet projected demands. 

Capital spending (CDEL) is money that is spent on estates and IT capital equipment that will be utilised for more than one financial year. Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) covers movements in provisions such as write-offs and changes in allowance for irrecoverable debts and provisions for dilapidations on buildings. 

In line with the wider fiscal environment, we continue to ensure our ambitions reflect our funding envelope. The majority of our spend goes towards our internal workforce, in particular legal and frontline pay. This spend has increased in recent years following the investment we received from HM Treasury, which is allowing us to deliver a significant recruitment campaign to support operational recovery. 

The 2023/24 budget will continue to invest in digital capability and innovation, representing clear commitments to providing better services, addressing the changing nature of crime and improving the way justice is done.

Projected spending