Showing 441 - 460 of 521 results

  1. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report on the Department for Education’s financial statements 2015-16

    Press release

    Published on:

    The Comptroller and Auditor General has provided an adverse opinion on the truth and fairness of the Department for Education’s group financial statements 2015-16. He has also qualified his regularity opinion because the Department has exceeded two of its expenditure limits authorised by Parliament. The Department has many challenges to overcome if it is to implement successfully its plans to provide Parliament with a better picture of academy trusts’ spending next year.

  2. The administration of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax 2015-16

    Press release

    Published on:

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs continues to make progress in ensuring that income tax levied under the Scottish rate will be assessed and collected properly, but still faces significant challenges to ensure that all Scottish taxpayers are correctly identified

  3. Protecting consumers from scams, unfair trading and unsafe goods

    Press release

    Published on:

    The report examines the system protecting consumers from scams, unfair trading, and unsafe goods. BEIS has made progress since our 2011 review, but needs to do more, particularly in the context of the growth of e-commerce.

  4. Financial sustainability of schools

    Press release

    Published on:

    The government’s approach to managing the risks to schools’ financial sustainability cannot be judged to be effective or providing value for money until more progress is made.

  5. Crown Commercial Service

    Press release

    Published on:

    It is not possible to show that the Crown Commercial Service has achieved more than departments would otherwise have achieved by buying common goods and services themselves.

  6. Benefit sanctions

    Press release

    Published on:

    The Department for Work & Pensions is not doing enough to find out how sanctions affect people on benefits.

  7. Department for International Development: investing through CDC

    Press release

    Published on:

    The Department for International Development has improved its oversight of CDC and has directed it to address many of the weaknesses previously identified by Parliament. However, it remains a significant challenge for CDC to demonstrate its ultimate objective of creating and making a lasting difference to people’s lives in some of the world’s poorest places.

  8. Financial sustainability of the NHS

    Press release

    Published on:

    The financial performance of NHS bodies worsened considerably in 2015-16, according to the National Audit Office.

  9. Delivering the defence estate

    Press release

    Published on:

    The MoD has developed a strategy that identifies the estate it needs and the 25% of its estate it can dispose of by 2040. However, the strategy and current funding levels allow only for a partial reversal of the decline in the condition of the remaining estate. There is a significant risk that the poor condition of the estate will affect the Department’s ability to provide the defence capability needed.

  11. Introduction of the new state pension

    Press release

    Published on:

    The Department for Work and Pensions successfully managed the introduction of the new state pension, but it is not yet clear whether the simplified system will encourage people to save more for their retirement.

  12. HMRC’s approach to collecting tax from high net worth individuals

    Press release

    Published on:

    HMRC has a special unit to collect tax from high net worth individuals who are those with assets of £20m or more. While this special unit gives it a better understanding of the tax affairs and behaviours of these taxpayers it needs to evaluate what approaches are the most effective and to understand the outcome it achieves.

  16. Children in need of help or protection

    Press release

    Published on:

    The Department for Education recognised since 2010 that child protection services are not good enough but its subsequent response has not yet resulted in better outcomes. Spending on children’s social work, including on child protection, varies widely across England and is not related to quality. Neither the DfE nor authorities understand why spending varies.

  19. Protecting information across government

    Press release

    Published on:

    Protecting information while re-designing public services and introducing the technology necessary to support them is an increasingly complex challenge.

  20. The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement programme

    Press release

    Published on:

    UK Government says it is on track to meet target to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. Local authorities’ ability to secure suitable school places and houses a risk to success. NAO estimate programme will cost £1.12bn by 2020.