Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the effectiveness of Postcomm’s regulation of quality of service. His report, which follows up on his 2002 report Opening the Post, finds that the overall value for money of regulation will be improved as it reduces burdens on Royal Mail while enhancing consumer […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the support provided by the Department of Trade and Industry to the restructuring of British Energy completed in January 2005; and the Department’s management of the risks to the taxpayer arising from the Company’s activities since the completion of restructuring. The Company was […]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and 24 of the organisations it sponsors spend over £40 million a year on 95 offices across England. In a report to Parliament today Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, says that better management of this office accommodation could lead to savings. The Department sponsors […]
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. […]
Few national targets for improving public services can be achieved by central government departments alone. Successful delivery of Whitehall’s targets, set out in Public Service Agreements (PSAs), relies on a complex chain of organisations involving local authorities and health trusts, as well as private, voluntary and community organisations. Government departments should build stronger partnerships with […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that significant improvements have been made in HM Prison Service’s catering arrangements resulting in financial savings and improved quality of service. Since 2003-04, savings of some £2.5 million have been made each year from expenditure on food and some £1.7 million a year on […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the progress made by the Ministry of Defence in implementing the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its 2002 report on combat identification. Following a number of deaths of UK service personnel during the combat phase of Operation TELIC in Iraq […]
The decline in quality of urban green space in England – including urban squares, parks, green corridors and nature reserves – has been halted in most areas and there are signs of recovery in many places. According to today’s report to Parliament by head of the National Audit Office, Sir John Bourn, initiatives led by […]
A report looking into a review by DCMS to identify and disseminate best practice in managing the risk of fraud in grant awards and to identify generic areas for potential.
The reaction of the Department for International Development to the Indian Ocean Tsunami was both rapid and impressive Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today. The first of many cargoes of relief supplies was airlifted to the affected area within 24 hours. However DFID need to strengthen their financial […]
Without clearer leadership from Departments there is a risk that the Government’s target to halt the rise in obesity in children under 11 will not be met. This is a key finding of a joint report published today by the Audit Commission, the Healthcare Commission and the National Audit Office. The report investigates the strength […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, said today that progress is being made towards the £21.5 billion ‘Gershon’ efficiency target but that because of the extent of the risk that efficiencies may not be measured accurately, and time lags in reporting of data, gains reported so far should be considered provisional and […]
The Department for Work and Pensions has made significant progress in delivering services through contact centres so that they are delivering improvements in value for money, but needs to continue to tackle a variety of barriers to exploit their full potential, according to a National Audit Office report published today. The Department’s 60 contact centres […]
£173 million was spent last year on trials and hearings in magistrates’ courts that did not go ahead as planned. Of this, nearly £24 million was due to the Crown Prosecution Service. The National Audit Office calculate that 28 per cent (784,000 annually) of all pre-trial hearings in magistrates’ courts do not proceed on the […]
Against a background of rising gas prices, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on major developments in the gas industry that have the potential to reduce gas bills in the longer term. There is uncertainty, however, as to whether consumers will see the full extent of the potential benefits. In […]
According to the National Audit Office, electronic monitoring of adult offenders provides value for money and a cost effective alternative to custody for low risk offenders. Three months of an electronically monitored curfew are nearly five times cheaper than three months in custody. On average, it costs £1,300 to monitor an offender who has been […]
Under the Wider Markets Initiative government departments could provide real gains to the public sector, according to the NAO. The initiative encourages the public sector to make fuller use of core public assets in an enterprising way – developing and selling new goods and services. Where undertaken, such new activities are working well. The benefits […]
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has made progress in improving the design of some leaflets but could go further to make them easier for the public to understand and get hold of, according to a National Audit Office report published today. The report also found that the DWP could improve how it checks […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, in his annual review of the Northern Ireland Policing Board’s Best Value Performance Plan reported that this year’s Plan meets the statutory requirements and that the quality of the Plan, its performance information and its performance monitoring show a year on year improvement. Sir John has also reviewed […]
The management of Corporation Tax by HM Revenue and Customs’ Area offices has improved in recent years, according to the National Audit Office. However, the variations in performance across offices offer scope for further savings in the costs of managing the tax and generating additional tax revenue. The Department’s Area offices administer Corporation Tax for […]