Showing 1761 - 1780 of 2708 results

  2. Progress on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link

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    The National Audit Office’s report finds that London & Continental Railways (LCR) successfully completed the construction of Section 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) on time and at a cost slightly below the target set in the 1998 restructuring. Drawing on the reasons for this achievement, the NAO report highlights lessons for other […]

  3. Maintaining and improving Britain’s railway stations

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    Passengers’ satisfaction with Britain’s railway stations has improved a little in recent years, but remains low for many stations and for many of the facilities provided at them, according to a report by the National Audit Office. There are also increasing passenger capacity pressures at some of the largest stations during peak periods. There is […]

  4. Returning Failed Asylum Applicants

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Home Office’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate has increased its capacity for removing failed asylum applicants but the number of people removed or returning voluntarily each month is still less than the number of unsuccessful cases (Based on the period April to December […]

  5. National Asylum Support Service: The Provision of Accommodation for Asylum Seekers

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that contracts agreed by the Home Office in 2000-01 to provide accommodation for asylum seekers have not always proved value for money. The Home Office’s National Asylum Support Service provides accommodation for asylum seekers who are destitute, or likely to become destitute, while their […]

  8. Working with the Third Sector

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office (NAO), reported today that substantial improvements are needed in the way government departments provide funding to Third Sector Organisations (TSOs) to deliver public services. A 2002 Treasury Review made numerous recommendations aimed at improving funding practices relating to TSOs. These recommendations have in the main been […]

  9. Filing of Income Tax Self Assessment Returns

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    The Department has stemmed the fall in the percentage of people filing their tax returns by the deadline, so that just over 90 per cent file their returns by the end of January each year, according to the National Audit Office. However, an estimated £1.1 billion of income tax was outstanding from 1.1 million overdue […]

  10. Environment Agency: Efficiency in water resource management

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that while the Environment Agency provides well-managed and professional water resource management services there is scope to improve efficiency and realise net savings of some £450,000 a year on its activities in England, with a further potential saving of between £1 million to £2 […]

  11. Assessing and Reporting Military Readiness

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the Ministry of Defence has a good system for reporting the readiness of its Armed Forces, which continues to improve. More work is required, however, both to better define and measure its Public Service Agreement target for readiness, and to define and […]

  12. The Refinancing of the Norfolk and Norwich PFI Hospital: How the deal can be viewed in the light of the refinancing

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, today reported that, following improvements in PFI financing terms, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust has shared in the gains from a refinancing of its early PFI hospital contract, but it continues to pay a premium in respect of the financing costs compared to current deals. […]

  14. Financial management in the NHS – NHS Summarised Accounts 2003-2004

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    The challenges facing local NHS bodies are unprecedented and improved financial management will be essential to meeting them, according to a study by the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission. The report, Financial Management in the NHS, published today, is the first joint study carried out by the NAO and the Commission. It shows […]

  16. Lost in Translation? Responding to the Challenges of European Law

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the mixed success with which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is transposing European legislation uinto UK law and preparing for its implementation. Defra deals with more European legislation than any other government department, and its mixed success demonstrates how […]

  17. Managing the Defence Estate

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Ministry of Defence is successfully introducing new management and contractual arrangements to deliver a better quality estate and has embarked on a major programme of estate rationalisation. However, more needs to be done to ensure that the benefits of these changes are […]

  18. Driving the Successful Delivery of Major Defence Projects: Effective Project Control

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    Overview The National Audit Office published today its “gold standard” for project control of major defence projects. This aims to help the MoD improve its performance in delivering projects on time and to budget. It forms part of a second in a suite of studies exploring key project success factors and how the MoD and […]

  19. Department of Health – Innovation in the NHS: Local Improvement Finance Trusts

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) initiative, launched in 2001, is an effective means of improving primary health and social care. The LIFT model has a number of strengths: it takes a long term strategic approach to local health provision which combines the […]

  20. Securing strategic leadership for the learning and skills sector in England

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    Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the frameworks that the Department for Education and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council have developed and put in place to plan and monitor the further education sector are likely to support systematic planning and provide reasonable assurance. As the frameworks develop, […]