Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
Defra should continue to fund the Agency to complete this programme to improve the management of animal disease and secure the full benefits of the new ICT.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion on the 2011-12 accounts of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, has published his audit opinion on the 2011-12 accounts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Payments Agency.
Investment of £110bn in electricity infrastructure is needed by 2020 to meet increase in demand, to provide back-up capacity, and because of scheduled closure of one fifth of existing capacity.
Using competition to award companies licences to transmit electricity from offshore wind farms has benefits but consumers might end up bearing the cost of inflation.
Reported fraud in Employment Programmes is low despite past flaws such as in the New Deal. New improvement controls are better, yet risks remain.
This competition was launched in 2007 with insufficient planning and recognition of the commercial risks and cancelled four years later. With commercial scale carbon capture and storage technology still to be developed, DECC must learn from the failure of this project.
Despite the fact that the Defra has made improvements in its financial management, the NAO cannot yet conclude that the Department is achieving value for money in its financial management activity.
Giving greater responsibility and discretion to local authorities to identify flood risk and target investment raises significant challenges, especially during a time of budget cuts and other newly devolved responsibilities. Greater value for money can be achieved through these reforms, but key elements of what is required are not yet in place.
Defra needs good cost information to scrutinise and challenge its arm’s length bodies, so that it can reduce costs with minimal disruption to frontline services.
The NAO has published its report on the 2010-11 accounts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The NAO has published its report on the 2010-11 accounts of the Rural payments Agency.
DEFRA has delivered some value from the £39.3 million spent on its geographic information strategy and activities. However, a lack of financial information means that the NAO cannot determine that value for money has been achieved.
There are major risks the Department of Energy and Climate Change must address to achieve value for money from its £11.3 billion national programme to install ‘smart’ electricity and gas meters in all homes and smaller non-domestic premises in Great Britain from 2014 to 2019.
Commentary on cost data provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Advisory Group on Responsibility and Cost Sharing
Sustainable development is a devolved issue and this briefing covers government policy in England with a brief overview of the work of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The National Audit Office has prepared this briefing on environmental protection for the new members of the Environmental Audit Committee
This briefing for the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee provides an overview of the key features of the policy and regulatory framework for electricity generation, and the nature of the transition required over the next 10 years to meet emissions reduction and renewable energy targets.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion on the 2009-10 accounts of the Rural Payments Agency because of inaccurate assessments of payments made to farmers under the Single Payment scheme.