Oversight of three PFI waste projects
Published on:All three projects examined by the NAO have experienced significant delays stemming from a range of problems.
All three projects examined by the NAO have experienced significant delays stemming from a range of problems.
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a planned project to build a large sewer running under the River Thames. It is the Government’s preferred solution to the problem of spills from London’s sewers into the tidal part of the Thames. In response to correspondence, we explain the roles of the different parties, identify potential risks to value for money and set out what we expect good project management to look like. To avoid influencing the outcome of ongoing competitions for the construction and financing of the project, we do not evaluate the value for money of the project and the issues raised do not imply any audit judgement about its performance.
The economic case for the smart metering programme remains positive but there are significant risks and challenges to successful implementation, which must be managed.
Electricity cannot be stored economically in large quantities, and electricity supply and demand throughout the UK must therefore be balanced on a second by second basis. As System Operator, National Grid is responsible for doing this, and it uses a variety of mechanisms which are collectively known as Balancing Services.
The Levy Control Framework is a valuable tool for supporting control of costs to consumers arising from government energy policies, but it has not been fully effective in key areas.
Large-scale infrastructure spending by the private sector over ten years or more will increase consumer utility bills but government and regulators do not know by how much or whether the bills will be affordable.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s systems for recording and challenging claimed savings at Sellafield give moderate assurance of reported overall savings since 2009-10.
The horsemeat incident in January 2013 exposed weaknesses in control in the food supply chain.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
This review was carried out on the 2012-15 Business Plan. Revised Business Plans were issued in June 2013.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
This review was carried out on the 2012-15 Business Plan. Revised Business Plans were issued in June 2013.
This briefing responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee to review sustainability within the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
The level of penalties imposed by the EC has gone down in 2012-13 to £20 million but this is largely caused by administrative delay in the Commission rather than improved compliance by Defra.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has undertaken an efficiency review of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) delivery of meat hygiene official controls.
This report highlights the key financial results that the C&AG judges to be important to the interpretation of the audited financial statements with respect to the underlying activities and timescales involved.
This fact sheet highlights the findings from NAO work on good practice in sustainability reporting.
Farm oversight activity does not deliver value for money for the taxpayer and continues to burden compliant farmers unnecessarily.
This briefing on Ofgem, a non-ministerial government department, is similar to the briefings we are producing on the 15 major government departments. It is produced primarily as a briefing for the Environment and Climate Change Committee, and is based on Ofgem’s annual report and accounts and our own work relevant to Ofgem.
There are significant uncertainties in plans for cleaning-up Sellafield. The Authority is working to understand and address project under-performance.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.