Government needs to ensure its growth plans for Cambridge are aligned with its £6-7bn investment in a new regional railway (East West Rail, Oxford to Cambridge), so it can maximise the economic benefits of the line, a new report by the National Audit Office says.
This briefing was produced for Parliament in response to correspondence we received from The Rt Hon Frank Field.
Last updated – 29 July 2020 Introduction to the topic Evidence has shown that high-quality early education and childcare can support children’s development and improve their outcomes. The Department for Education funds three entitlements to free early education and childcare in England: By funding the entitlements, the Department for Education aims to support children’s development […]
The Department for Work & Pensions is not doing enough to find out how sanctions affect people on benefits.
Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office, has reported on the 2023-24 accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions.
In 2023-24, HMRC spent £7.2 billion to collect tax revenue. This report summarises key relevant information and insights.
Gareth Davies, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) of the National Audit Office, has reported on HMRC’s 2023-24 accounts.
Background In July 2024, the new government’s legislative programme signalled the aim to grow the economy and promote a new partnership with the private sector including using private finance to deliver infrastructure projects. Scope We have reported to successive Parliaments on the value for money of using private finance to deliver infrastructure projects. This study […]
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has made substantial progress with the merger that created it, although some issues remain.
Background St Helena island is a self-governing UK Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic with a population of around 4,250. The Department for International Development (now part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – FCDO) provided the St Helena government with £285.5 million to design, build and operate an airport and related infrastructure. It […]
An upcoming NAO report will establish a baseline for the current system of supporting people to work through jobcentres.
AI presents the government with opportunities to transform public services potentially delivering billions of pounds in productivity savings.
Government must reset the HS2 programme successfully to avoid repeating past failures and to maximise value for money.
Gareth Davies uses the NAO’s insights to outline what government needs to do to make public money work harder
Sellafield nuclear site is not yet achieving value for money due to concerns over project management, the pace of delivery and staffing.
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, has reported on the DWP’s 2022-23 accounts and has qualified his audit opinion.
An investigation into Verify, the government’s identity verification platform. It examines its performance, costs and benefits.
This paper sets out how we used instrumental variables to estimate the impact of benefit sanctions on the employment outcomes of sanctioned individuals in the Work Programme – a large welfare-to-work programme for the long-term unemployed.
Fraud and error cost the taxpayer billions of pounds each year – but most of the potential loss goes undetected. Based on the Public Sector Fraud Authority’s (PSFA) methodology, we estimate that fraud and error cost the taxpayer £55 billion to £81 billion in 2023-24. Only a fraction of this is detected and known about […]
Home Office’s quick acquisition of the Northeye site for asylum accommodation led to it cutting corners and paying more than it needed to.