Plans to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of services such as human resources, payroll and finance could cost the Department for Transport £81 million (by March 2015) rather than saving £57 million as originally expected. There will need to be substantial improvements in the shared service centre’s productivity if the Department’s original targets are to […]
This new report responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee to examine local government and net zero.
This report examines government’s progress in tackling local breaches of NO2 limits and its performance on air quality more broadly.
In 2006-07, almost 800,000 incidents caused 14 million minutes of delay to rail journeys costing a minimum of £1 billion in terms of time lost to passengers, according to a report released today by the National Audit Office. There was a sharp increase in delay minutes after the Hatfield derailment in October 2000 and the […]
This study examines the government’s support for bus services and whether enablers to improve bus services are in place.
This report examines how well the government has used public money to support the uptake of ultra-low emission cars.
Since the early 1990s, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Driving Standards Agency and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency have made some of their services available either through the internet, by telephone or through business to business computer systems. A report released today by the National Audit Office has found that these developments […]
This report examines whether government’s arrangements for decommissioning AGR nuclear power stations will lead to better value for money.
Staff sickness absence in the Department for Transport and its agencies averaged 10.4 days in 2005, costing the taxpayer around £24 million a year, according to a new NAO report published today. Performance varies across the Department, and some parts such as the central department, the Highways Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency compare […]
Under the Scheme, the Treasury guarantees that lenders to infrastructure projects will be repaid in full and on time, irrespective of project performance. The NAO is calling for the Treasury to be rigorous and objective in assessing whether the guarantees, which transfer risk to the public sector, are genuinely needed.
Since the introduction of a new type of maintenance contract in 2001 by the Highways Agency there have been some improvements in the quality and delivery to budget of maintenance on England’s motorways and trunk roads. However, according to a report by the National Audit Office, costs have risen, with those for routine maintenance increasing […]
There are signs MOD has begun to make trade-offs with cost, time and technical requirements. But some major projects still suffer cost rises and delay.
The Government received a good price when selling its interest in British Energy. But it is too early to say whether the sale will enable the Government to achieve its strategic objective of ensuring nuclear operators are able to build and operate new nuclear power stations from the earliest possible date and with no public […]
Inadequate forecasting is an entrenched problem for government departments, leading to poor value for money and increased costs for the taxpayer.
The evasion of road tax by motorists and motorcyclists has increased significantly, the National Audit Office has reported. According to the Department for Transport’s roadside survey in June 2006, Vehicle Excise Duty evasion was running at some 5 per cent (£217 million), up from 3.6 per cent (£147 million) the previous year. The Driver and […]
Building and improving the country’s roads are proving to be more expensive than originally estimated, according to a new report published today by the National Audit Office. The report looks at the Highways Agency’s investment in motorways and major trunk roads and local authority major roads schemes funded by the Department for Transport. The Department […]
This report examines whether DfT
and HS2 Ltd have protected value for money so far in their stewardship of HS2.
A new traffic scheme in Dunstable has not delivered the expected benefits, according to a report by the National Audit Office published today. Dunstable town centre suffers severe traffic congestion, due to limited road capacity and high volumes of heavy goods vehicles, causing poor air quality. The Dunstable A5 queue relocation scheme was designed to […]
The Better Regulation Executive is currently reviewing controls on regulation. This document is the National Audit Office’s submission to that review. It is based on a combination of our previous work and new work with five case study departments earlier this year.