The economic downturn has been largely responsible for a £21.7 billion reduction in taxes and duties collected by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in 2008-9, according to a report released today by the National Audit Office. Income Tax and National Insurance contributions fell by £5.7 billion; revenue from VAT fell by £6.4 billion (partly reflecting […]
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified the accounts of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) because the EHRC re-engaged, without Treasury authority, seven former senior employees of the former Commission for Racial Equality who had left that body under a voluntary early severance scheme. The EHRC, established in April 2006 and operational from […]
The head of the National Audit Office, the Comptroller and Auditor General, has today qualified the accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions for the 20th consecutive year. The accounts have been qualified because of the material level of fraud and error in expenditure on state benefits, except for State Pension which has a […]
The National Audit Office has identified errors in specialist pay, allowances and expenses paid to the Armed Forces via their Payroll and Human Resources system, as well as the inadequacy of evidence to support certain fixed assets and stock balances in the financial statements. For this reason, the Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his […]
The Comptroller and Auditor General, the head of the National Audit Office, today reported to Parliament that he has qualified his audit opinion on HM Treasury’s Resource Accounts for 2008-09. This was because, in that year, HM Treasury incurred expenditure of some £24 billion more than Parliament had authorized. This arose because of the need […]
The NHS reported a surplus of £1.67 billion in 2007-08. According to a report jointly prepared by the Audit Commission and the National Audit Office and published today, the surplus achieved reflected good use of resources rather than a failure to deliver healthcare. The Department of Health (DH) has given a commitment that the NHS […]
Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General
The NHS as a whole achieved a net surplus of £515 million in 2006-07, compared with a net deficit of £547 million in 2005-06, according to a report out today by the National Audit Office. The NHS Summarised Accounts show that in 2006-07 287 NHS organisations reported a gross surplus of £1,431 million (2005-06: 357 […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has today qualified his opinion on the Department for Work and Pensions accounts for the eighteenth consecutive year. This is because an estimated £2.5 billion has been lost to fraud and error in benefit payments, and because of uncertainties over the debts created by customers being […]
The evasion of road tax by motorists and motorcyclists has increased significantly, the National Audit Office has reported. According to the Department for Transport’s roadside survey in June 2006, Vehicle Excise Duty evasion was running at some 5 per cent (£217 million), up from 3.6 per cent (£147 million) the previous year. The Driver and […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, today issued his audit certificate on HM Revenue & Customs 2006-07 Trust Statement of revenues. Sir John was able to issue an unqualified audit opinion on the truth and fairness of the Trust Statement, but in common with 2005-06, issued a qualified opinion on regularity due to levels […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has today reported to Parliament that he is qualifying the Home Office 2005-06 Resource Accounts because Accounting Standards require these accounts to include the 2004-05 results. But for this, and the qualification relating to its accruals at 31 March 2006, and the corresponding expenditure, he would […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn has today reported to Parliament that he is qualifying his opinion on the accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions. This is because of substantial levels of estimated losses from fraud and error in benefit payments and material uncertainties about the level of debt resulting […]
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office resource accounts for 2005-06, published today, include a report by Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, on the theft and misuse of satellite phones in Iraq. The NAO report provides Parliament with details of losses of £594,000 caused by the unauthorised use of satellite telephones in Iraq. […]