Government legal spend through its central panel of external advisers fell by more than a third last year, with the findings coming as a long-awaited review of the roster kicked off in earnest earlier this month.

Figures released by the Government Procurement Service, following a Freedom of Information Act request from Legal Week, show the panel handing out a total of £28.8m to the current 48-firm roster during 2010-11, 36% down on the record figure of £44.8m spent during the previous year.