Accountability to Parliament for taxpayers’ money
Published on:The incentives on government Accounting Officers to prioritise value for money are weak compared to those associated with the day-to-day job of satisfying Ministers.
The incentives on government Accounting Officers to prioritise value for money are weak compared to those associated with the day-to-day job of satisfying Ministers.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
With the number of further education (FE) colleges in financial difficulty expected to rise rapidly, there are fundamental structural problems which might require decisions at a regional or sector-wide level.
The Programme launch has been successful, however key risks remain such as the planned delivery of new homes towards the end of the programme period.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion on the 2011-12 financial statements of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) because of irregular ex-gratia payments, totalling £51,000, made by the Agency to its staff.
The Help to Buy equity loan scheme is improving access to mortgage finance, but the scheme’s costs will be substantial.
The provision of adequate adult social care poses a significant public service challenge. Demand for care is rising while public spending is falling.
Central government needs to have better engagement with local government, particularly as more services are devolved.
In June 2011, the National Audit Office reported on the system for enforcing consumer law and the Government subsequently made a series of reforms to the consumer landscape. This update report summarises recent changes and sets out the proposed benefits to consumers, businesses and taxpayers as well as the possible risks to be managed.
This briefing draws out findings from 46 NAO reports since 2008-09 that are relevant to local delivery. It communicates the wide range of work we have undertaken and the main lessons that have arisen from it.
DWP is working to manage the introduction of the housing benefit reforms and has a critical role to play in anticipating adverse consequences.
Improvements have been made to the running of the Regional Growth Fund, but there is still a significant amount of public money to allocate through the Fund.
The Department for Education is not meeting its objectives to improve the quality of care and the stability of placements for children in care.
It has not yet been demonstrated that funding mechanisms for supporting local economic growth are capable of delivering value for money.
There is wide variation in the extent to which £79 billion in central funding allocated to local health bodies differs from target allocations that are based on relative need.
• This is NAO’s first report on funding since the 2013 health reforms took effect. Where possible comparisons have been made with funding under the previous system set out in a 2011 NAO report.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
This report draws out good practice lessons from three local improvement projects. It has been produced jointly by the National Audit Office, Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.
The lack of predictability of funding for highways authorities has practical implications for road networks and may lead to increased costs in the long term.
This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we have produced covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Communities and Local Government during 2010-2011.