The Whole of Government Accounts provide a unique perspective owing to their reach and approach to measuring the government’s financial performance and position.
The process for setting the London 2012 Games budget has been thorough, the National Audit Office says today, but the level of public funding has increased greatly, and significant areas of uncertainty remain including the finalisation of the design of venues and the intended wider benefits. These are the main findings in a new report […]
The approach to reducing the cost of regulation is set up to ensure that government can hit a £10bn target but misses the point by not truly reducing costs on businesses.
We have published a series of reports which explore some of the major risks to public finances highlighted in the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA).
We have published a series of reports which explore some of the major risks to public finances highlighted in the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA).
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Amyas Morse, has qualified his audit opinion on the regularity of the 2015-16 accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions. This is owing to the unacceptably high level of fraud and error in benefit expenditure, other than State Pension where the level of fraud and error is lower.
This briefing is intended to assist the Public Administration Committee in considering options for work on the ‘third sector’ or voluntary and community sector.
Government forms filled in by citizens can be made shorter and much easier to use leading to better access to services and considerable efficiency gains, Sir John Bourn, the head of the NAO, reported to Parliament today. Forms remain essential to the delivery of a wide range of government services. If forms are well designed […]
The Pension Service has made real and substantial progress since 2002 in helping pensioners to secure their entitlements using new and well thought through approaches, but will need to build on this work to improve take-up still further. A report today by the National Audit Office highlights the need to develop local work to reach […]
Nearly 100,000 new childcare places have been created for pre-school children since 1998 and the Government is on course to meet its targets for the provision of free part-time early education for three- and four-year-olds. But Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that more needs to be done to ensure […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the support provided to MG Rover by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and other public bodies before and during the Company’s collapse in 2005, and on the effectiveness of plans to deal with and mitigate the consequences of the firm’s closure. […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that good progress has been made in recent years in increasing the overall employment rate for older people. The gap between the proportion of older people in work compared to the general working population has also narrowed by 1 per cent over […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn reported to Parliament today that he had given an unqualified audit opinion on the accounts of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) for 2002-03. In his report, Sir John confirms that the SRA’s accounts incorporate the accounts of Network Rail Limited. This position reflects the view which […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Social Fund plays an important role in helping people in financial hardship, and is reaching many of those in greatest need. But there is a risk that potentially eligible people are not aware of the Social Fund and that some Jobcentre Plus […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Government is on course to achieve a significant increase in the level of electricity generated from renewable sources – as part of its response to global warming – but a number of challenges remain to achieving its 10 per cent target for […]
Modern light rail systems, such as Croydon Tramlink and Manchester Metrolink, have brought significant benefits to passengers, according to a report Parliament by the head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn. They deliver fast, frequent and reliable services and provide a comfortable and safe journey. Their modern look and attractive services have enhanced […]
Responding to an increasingly diverse society is essential if public services are to meet their full potential, Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, reported to Parliament today. This report – the first of its kind by the NAO – looks across Whitehall at the way in which government bodies are taking steps to better […]
The Warm Front scheme for improving the energy efficiency of households suffering from fuel poverty has been more successful than the former Home Energy Efficiency Scheme which it replaced in June 2000. However, according to today’s report to Parliament by head of the NAO Sir John Bourn, the scheme is not reaching those in greatest […]
Head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn, reported today that, in recognising the good progress made by the Department for Work and Pensions and other public bodies working with pensioners in encouraging benefit take up, more could be done. Although two million pensioners live in low-income households, many tens of thousand miss out […]
The Environment Agency has made much progress since its creation in 1996 in providing more consistent and professional regulation of the waste industry in England and Wales and in improving standards in the industry, according to a report today from the National Audit Office. The Agency could, however, provide more effective and efficient regulation by […]