Used appropriately, GPC can be a cost-effective way for government to procure goods and services. However, there is no up to date value-for-money case quantifying the benefits of the cards. There has also been a lack of clear central guidance on when the cards are the most appropriate way to procure goods and services.
The Government has committed £933 million from the Libor Fund, but cannot yet confirm that all the money has been used as intended.
Schools, especially secondary schools, face real challenges in retaining and developing their teachers. National data suggest progress but mask significant local variation.
Demand for ambulance services continues to grow rapidly, but services are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with rising demand.
The need for housing in England has in recent years grown faster than its supply, and housebuilding needs to increase across the country.
The Department for Work and Pensions has introduced the Work Programme quickly, in just over a year, and this has had benefits, but the speed with which it was launched has also increased risks. The Department and providers have made assumptions about how many people the Programme will get back into work but there is a significant risk that they are over-optimistic.
This interactive publication summarises examples of ways our work has led to financial and non-financial impacts.
The case for a huge expansion of electronic monitoring using GPS was unproven, but the Ministry of Justice pursued an overly ambitious and high risk strategy anyway. Ultimately it has not delivered.
This report examines government’s management of the Affordable Homes Programme since 2015.
The government continues to lose large amounts of money through fraud and error overpayments and many vulnerable people get less support than they are entitled to.
The MoD’s new regulations for overseeing non-competitive procurement has the potential to save significant sums of money, if implemented properly.
The NAO has published its investigation into misuse of the Flexible Support Fund in Plaistow jobcentre. The report looks at how the Department for Work & Pensions responded to allegations of misuse at the jobcentre.
The Better Care Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or hospital activity.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the complexity of the benefits system, which he considers is one of the most important issues affecting the performance of the Department for Work and Pensions. According to the report to Parliament, tackling the problems associated with a complex system requires a systematic […]
It is not possible to show that the Crown Commercial Service has achieved more than departments would otherwise have achieved by buying common goods and services themselves.
Report summarising the National Audit Office’s (NAO) investigation into the provision of supported housing in England
Housing is one of the government’s key priorities. Explore the changes in the housing market in England and build a richer understanding of what they mean for different parts of the country.
The newly-created Competition and Markets Authority has made significant progress in improving how the UK’s competition regime works, and it is now more coherent than before. Business awareness of competition law, however, is low and while it has improved the robustness of its enforcement casework, the regime has so far not produced a substantial flow of enforcement decisions or fines.
The Better Regulation Executive and government departments are not yet in a position to achieve value for money in their management of regulation. However, they have developed important elements of a structured approach to achieving sustainable reductions in regulatory costs and have delivered significant benefits.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s £1.3bn court reform programme is nearing its end. This report examines progress implementing the programme.