There are some good examples across government of alternatives to regulation being used to achieve policy objectives. However more needs to done to share these examples to highlight when alternatives are most likely to work and how they should be designed.
For the first time since 2009-10, the Social Fund White Paper account has not been qualified on the grounds of the completeness, existence and valuation of the debt balance.
The Government awarded, without competition, £16.6 billion worth of early contracts to eight renewable generation projects at risk of investment delay.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion owing to the material level of fraud and error in benefit expenditure.
The Department has increased local authorities’ flexibility over their funding, but as a result has less information on how funds are being spent.
The DWP has simplified the way it administers child maintenance and is approaching expected levels of performance. But overall objectives might be at risk if the number of people using family-based arrangements does not increase.
This report draws together insights from our previous reports and those of the PAC on the role of, and recent changes to, the centre of government. The centre of government has responsibility for coordinating and overseeing the work of government, enabling it to achieve its strategic aims and ensuring there is a central view of the effective operation of government as a whole. Most of these strategic functions are performed by the Cabinet Office and the Treasury.
All three projects examined by the NAO have experienced significant delays stemming from a range of problems.
The MOD decision to reduce the size of the regular Army and increase the number of trained Army reserves was taken without appropriate testing of feasibility or evaluation of risk.
We welcome the Treasury’s continuing commitment to improving the timeliness and content of the WGA.This will enable the Treasury to manage public finances better.
The lack of predictability of funding for highways authorities has practical implications for road networks and may lead to increased costs in the long term.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a planned project to build a large sewer running under the River Thames. It is the Government’s preferred solution to the problem of spills from London’s sewers into the tidal part of the Thames. In response to correspondence, we explain the roles of the different parties, identify potential risks to value for money and set out what we expect good project management to look like. To avoid influencing the outcome of ongoing competitions for the construction and financing of the project, we do not evaluate the value for money of the project and the issues raised do not imply any audit judgement about its performance.
The economic case for the smart metering programme remains positive but there are significant risks and challenges to successful implementation, which must be managed.
The purpose of this note is to update the Committee of Public Accounts on developments since the publication of the National Audit Office report in February, particularly the release of the Authority’s second annual report on 23 May.
June 2014.
The NAO, the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), both part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have published a survey looking at businesses’ perceptions of regulation.
Electricity cannot be stored economically in large quantities, and electricity supply and demand throughout the UK must therefore be balanced on a second by second basis. As System Operator, National Grid is responsible for doing this, and it uses a variety of mechanisms which are collectively known as Balancing Services.
In response to questions raised by the House of Commons Health Committee in late 2013 and wider Parliamentary interest, we conducted an investigation into five specific concerns about NHS Property Services. Our investigation established the facts relating to these concerns.
May 2014
In June 2011, the National Audit Office reported on the system for enforcing consumer law and the Government subsequently made a series of reforms to the consumer landscape. This update report summarises recent changes and sets out the proposed benefits to consumers, businesses and taxpayers as well as the possible risks to be managed.
The Treasury Committee asked the National Audit Office to undertake an analysis of the VFM assessment process and model for PFI. The assessment process combines a quantitative and qualitative approach to VFM appraisal. Our review focused, primarily, on the use of the financial model in the VFM assessment process and was submitted to the Treasury Committee as part of their inquiry into PF2.
Remploy and the Department for Work & Pensions completed the disposal of Remploy factories within a tight timetable and below budget.