The Warm Front scheme for improving the energy efficiency of households suffering from fuel poverty has been more successful than the former Home Energy Efficiency Scheme which it replaced in June 2000. However, according to today’s report to Parliament by head of the NAO Sir John Bourn, the scheme is not reaching those in greatest […]
Customs has moved quickly to tighten border controls against illegal imports of animal products from outside of the European Union, since taking over this enforcement role in April 2003. As a result, the number of seizures has more than doubled, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today. He recommended that […]
This briefing was prepared in response to a request from the Energy and Climate Change Committee for an independent overview of the development and implementation of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
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 Environment Agency has made much progress since its creation in 1996 in providing more consistent and professional regulation of the waste industry in England and Wales and in improving standards in the industry, according to a report today from the National Audit Office. The Agency could, however, provide more effective and efficient regulation by […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on programmes run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to help English farm businesses adapt to changing markets and reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Farmers in the United Kingdom currently receive nearly £3 billion a year in subsidies […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today on the progress made by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in implementing recommendations made by the Committee of Public Accounts following the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Good progress has been made on most of the recommendations made […]
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 […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Emissions Trading Scheme has brought about a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases and that the Scheme has benefited the UK economy. He noted that, whilst some reductions were likely to have happened without the Scheme, most of the reductions were generated […]
This report examines how far the Ministry of Defence has embedded environmental sustainability in estate management, procurement, governance and policy-making.
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that Energywatch and Postwatch have achieved benefits for consumers but they need to do more to show the extent of these benefits. Over their first three years, Energywatch and Postwatch have successfully established their organisations, developed efficient systems to handle customer complaints and […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that good progress has been made in recent years in increasing the overall employment rate for older people. The gap between the proportion of older people in work compared to the general working population has also narrowed by 1 per cent over […]
Difficulties encountered by a government agency in making payments under the EU’s Single Payment Scheme have caused distress to a significant minority of farmers, cost farmers money in additional interest and bank charges, and undermined the farming industry’s confidence in the agency, according to a report published today. The study by the National Audit Office […]
This report sets out the landscape of oil and gas decommissioning.
This report examines how government has set itself up to deliver its long-term environmental goals.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair’s systems for identifying and tracking the 25 million cattle, sheep and pigs in England have achieved their initial objectives, according to the National Audit Office. More could be done, however, to realise other potential benefits from the systems and reduce costs. Defra’s plans for updating its identification and […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, today welcomed Ofgem’s efforts to help vulnerable consumers, such as the elderly or those on benefits. He encouraged Ofgem and the energy suppliers to build on the Social Action Plan to allow more vulnerable consumers to take advantage of the competitive energy market. He also reported […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that contingent risks he and the Public Accounts Committee had identified following British Energy’s privatisation had materialised. The Department for Trade and Industry had clearly recognised the risks to the taxpayer arising from the nuclear liabilities of British Energy. However, while the Company appeared […]
The development of the national Air Quality Strategy provides a good example of modern policy-making practices, and further improvements can be made, according to a National Audit Office report. The NAO used the development of the second Air Quality Strategy (published in January 2000) to examine the policy development processes of the former Department of […]
A briefing for the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee and the Energy and Climate Change Committee.