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 […]
A large proportion of schools in England provide high standards of education, with pupil attainment improving in primary and secondary schools. However, some schools are performing less well. The Department for Education and Skills and Ofsted use several definitions to identify schools that are performing poorly and need additional support; among the 1,557 schools included […]
Affordable housing is a priority for local authorities and Government, with £3.3 billion being invested between 2004 and 2006, and further increases planned. Most local authorities believe, however, that they will not meet the need for affordable housing in the next three years. This was the key finding of a study undertaken by the Audit […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that he has qualified his audit opinion on the accounts of the Community Fund for 2004-05. The Community Fund (now operating as the Big Lottery Fund together with the New Opportunities Fund) have reported that, in September 2004 they identified a number […]
More employers in England need to be persuaded of the value to their businesses of employment-related education and skills training, according to the National Audit Office. Today’s report to Parliament recommends that the ways in which employers get advice and information be simplified; that the emphasis should be on flexible and affordable training that employers […]
The Strategic Rail Authority successfully managed the termination of Connex South Eastern’s franchise after the SRA lost confidence in the company’s financial management, according to the National Audit Office. Taxpayers’ interests were largely protected and passenger services maintained. But this case did highlight lessons for the awarding and managing of franchises. In June 2003, the […]