Search results for 'Benefits'

Showing 601 - 620 of 937 results

  1. Venture capital support to small businesses

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    Venture capital funds injected by government into young companies can provide benefit to them, allowing them to raise finance not available through conventional means and to grow. But so far the funds have not been managed as a programme and lack a robust framework of objectives to measure performance, according to a report published by […]

  2. Regenerating the English Regions: Regional Development Agencies’ support to physical regeneration projects

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    The Regional Development Agencies’ physical regeneration programmes have helped to generate additional regional wealth. However, because of Agency weaknesses in identifying the projects which would maximise regional economic growth, the National Audit Office is unable to conclude the Agencies have secured as much benefit as they should have. Since 1999, the eight RDAs outside of […]

  3. HM Revenue and Customs: Handling telephone enquiries

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    HM Revenue and Customs’ performance in answering telephone calls in 2008-09 was well below its own targets and industry standards, the National Audit Office has reported today. In its Customer Contact Directorate, which answers 95 per cent of calls to the Department’s contact centres, only 57 per cent of 103 million call attempts were answered, compared […]

  4. Management of the BBC’s critical projects

    Press release

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    BBC has improved the way it manages its business critical projects. Most are on course to deliver and achieve their intended benefits but needs to do more to manage its critical projects as a coherent portfolio.

  5. Department for Work and Pensions 2015-16 accounts

    Press release

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    The Comptroller and Auditor General, Amyas Morse, has qualified his audit opinion on the regularity of the 2015-16 accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions. This is owing to the unacceptably high level of fraud and error in benefit expenditure, other than State Pension where the level of fraud and error is lower.

  6. Assessing the impact of proposed new policies

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    Impact Assessments, used to assess the need for and the likely impact of proposed government policy interventions, do not yet consistently provide a sound basis for assessing the merits of different policy proposals. Further improvement in the quality and use of Impact Assessments is needed to achieve value for money. 

  7. Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation

    Press release

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    The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Green Deal design not only failed to deliver any meaningful benefit, it increased suppliers’ costs – and therefore energy bills – in meeting their obligations through the ECO scheme.

  8. The mortgage rescue scheme

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    The Mortgage Rescue Scheme, launched in January 2009 by the Department for Communities and Local Government, achieved fewer than half of the rescues expected. The Department helped 2,600 households avoid repossession and homelessness at a cost of in excess of £240 million – but it originally expected to help 6,000 households for £205 million.

  9. Supporting disabled people to work

    Press release

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    This report is about the Department for Work & Pensions’ support to help disabled people overcome barriers to work.

  10. Progress with preparations for High Speed 2

    Press release

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    HS2 is a large, complex and ambitious programme which is facing cost and time pressures. The unrealistic timetable set for HS2 Ltd by the Department means they are not as ready to deliver as they hoped to be at this point.

  11. The BBC’s management of three major estate projects

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    The BBC Trust has today published an independent report prepared by the National Audit Office (NAO) on the BBC’s management of three major estates projects. These were the refurbishment and redevelopment of Broadcasting House in London, the construction of Pacific Quay in Glasgow and the Corporation’s forthcoming move to Salford Quays.

  12. PaceSetter: HMRC’s programme to improve business operations

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    PaceSetter has led to productivity improvements and may have contributed to greater staff engagement. However, the extent to which overall efficiency has improved is not clear; and some key principles of process improvement are not yet being applied strategically across the entire organisation.

  13. The BBC’s understanding of its audiences and users

    Press release

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    The report examines whether to inform decisions across the BBC, the Corporation efficiently, effectively and economically understands how people use and respond to the full range of its services.

  14. Progress on the government estate strategy

    Press release

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    Departments have continued to reduce their estates and government is now getting better value for money. The Government Property Unit, however, has not yet made much progress towards its more challenging objective of creating an integrated estate.

  15. Reducing costs in the Department for Work and Pensions

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    The Department for Work and Pensions will have to make rapid progress in reorganising the way it operates if it is to meet its target of cutting costs by £20 billion in four years while achieving substantial reform of the welfare system.

  16. Hinkley Point C

    Press release

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    The Department has committed electricity consumers and taxpayers to a high cost and risky deal in a changing energy marketplace. We cannot say the Department has maximised the chances that it will achieve value for money.

  17. Partnering for school improvement

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    The Department for Children, Schools and Families is achieving its aim of promoting partnering in secondary education in England, according to a report today by the National Audit Office.  Some 87 per cent of schools work with other schools and organisations on improving attainment and behaviour – and headteachers are clear that partnering is delivering […]