The update looks at how the centre of government’s role has evolved in response to austerity, examines recent developments such as how the leadership of functions and professions has been brought together under the new Chief Executive of the Civil Service.
The centre of government has little oversight of official travel, leaving this role to departments, although it does seek to manage the price of travel.
The BBC’s cost reduction programme has so far delivered value for money. However, the need to make further savings from productivity improvements will involve more challenging and potentially disruptive changes to structures and ways of working.
The NAO has today published an update for the Public Accounts Committee, detailing developments in the management of the Sellafield site, the UK’s largest and most hazardous nuclear site, and the extent to which progress has been made in decommissioning and cleaning it up.
This guide is designed to provide a quick and accessible overview of the financial services regulation, redress and advice bodies, using our published work. It covers:
• The responsibilities 5 financial services regulation, redress and advice bodies and how they spend their money
• Interaction and cooperation between the 5 bodies
• Our recent findings and future challenges for the 5 bodies
• Case studies on the impact of payment protection insurance mis-selling on the Financial Ombudsman Service and the financial crisis on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme
The wider government needs to do more to understand the experience of whistleblowers and to act where whistleblowers suffer detriment.#
MOD has made good progress stabilising the equipment programme but needs to set out how a bespoke trading entity will transform Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) into the leading defence acquisition organisation by 2017.
The NAO acknowledges the vital role played by inspectorates but identifies inconsistency in the extent to which they are independent of government and in their reporting arrangements, which can limit their impact.
This briefing, prepared for the Environmental Audit Committee, provides an update on the quality of sustainability reporting by central government departments. It includes a review of current and planned requirements.
HMRC has made good progress towards maximising revenue and making cost savings but also needs to do much more to improve its customer service.
The Government did not meet its goal of transferring by 1 June 2014 all people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, for whom it was appropriate, from mental hospitals into the community.
The Building Public Trust Awards recognise trust and transparency in corporate reporting. This is the 12th year in which PwC has presented these annual awards.
The C&AG has qualified his opinion on the 2013-14 Accounts of the Office for Legal Complaints. This is in part owing to expenses paid to its Chief Executive, the former Accounting Officer of the body, which were not retrospectively approved by the Ministry of Justice.
An update for the Committee of Public Accounts on the Programme’s progress, including rollout and take-up of superfast broadband under Phase 1 (delivery to 90% of UK premises by December 2016) and comments on initial progress for phase 2.
Under the Scheme, the Treasury guarantees that lenders to infrastructure projects will be repaid in full and on time, irrespective of project performance. The NAO is calling for the Treasury to be rigorous and objective in assessing whether the guarantees, which transfer risk to the public sector, are genuinely needed.
The Charity Commission has made early progress in addressing NAO and Public Accounts Committee recommendations, but significant challenges remain.
The BBC has made good progress in rationalising and upgrading its estate. But value for money in the short to medium term will depend crucially on the BBC’s making better use of its estate.
The inability of the DfE to prepare financial statements providing a true and fair view of financial activity by its group of bodies means that it is not meeting the accountability requirements of Parliament.
This briefing for the Commons Science and Technology Committee sets out the results of a review of the data available to the Home Office to help it oversee the forensics market; the adequacy of the data the Home Office has available; current trends in the forensics market and associated risks; and the Home Office’s response to the Committee’s previous recommendations on this matter.
The Department for International Development met, for the calendar year 2013, the government target to spend 0.7% of the UK’s annual gross national income on overseas aid.