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History of the National Audit Office

The early years

The National Audit Office has existed in its present form since 1983. The public audit function in United Kingdom central government has a much longer history:

The earliest surviving mention of a public official charged with auditing government expenditure is a reference to the Auditor of the Exchequer in 1314.
The Auditors of the Imprest were established under Queen Elizabeth I in 1559 with formal responsibility for auditing Exchequer payments.
This system gradually lapsed and in 1780, Commissioners for Auditing the Public Accounts were appointed by statute.
From 1834, the Commissioners worked in tandem with the Comptroller of the Exchequer, who was charged with controlling the issue of funds to the government.

Gladstone’s reforms

Parliament had for several centuries been responsible for raising revenue and authorising expenditure – and the nation had fought a civil war largely on this issue – but Parliamentary control and scrutiny of public spending was weak.

It was not until the 1860s that the first major steps towards proper financial accountability to Parliament were taken.

The champion of reform was William Ewart Gladstone, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1859-1866.

As Chancellor, Gladstone initiated major reforms of public finance and Parliamentary accountability:

His 1866 Exchequer and Audit Departments Act required all departments to produce annual accounts known as appropriation accounts.
The Act established the position of Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and an Exchequer and Audit Department (E&AD) to provide supporting staff from within the civil service.

The C&AG was given two main functions:

to authorise the issue of public money to government from the Bank of England, having satisfied himself that this was within the limits Parliament had voted
and to audit the accounts of all Government departments and report to Parliament accordingly.

Parliamentary audit

Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866

The 1866 Act established a cycle of accountability for public funds:

The House of Commons authorises expenditure
The Comptroller and Auditor General controls the issue of funds
Accounts are produced by departments and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General
The results of the C&AG’s investigations are considered by a dedicated parliamentary committee, the Committee of Public Accounts (PAC), established in 1861 by Gladstone.

From the 1870s, the PAC took evidence from senior officials, normally Heads of Departments, who were designated as Accounting Officers by the Treasury.

Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921

Initially, the C&AG and his staff were required to examine every transaction.

This became more unrealistic as the level of government activity expanded, particularly during the First World War.

The 1921 legislation allowed the C&AG to rely in part on departmental systems of control and thus examine a sample of transactions, rather than all of them.

This Act also required the C&AG to report to Parliament that money had been spent in accordance with Parliament’s wishes.

1980s Reforms

National Audit Act 1983

From the 1960s onwards, concerns were expressed by Parliamentarians and academics that the scope of public audit needed to be modernised to reflect the significant changes in the role of government over the course of the twentieth century.

In particular, it was argued that there was a need for a specific power to allow the C&AG to report to Parliament at his own discretion on the value for money achieved by government departments.

Reformers also argued that more robust arrangements should be put in place to ensure the independence of public auditors from government.

These changes were reflected in the National Audit Act 1983. This was originally a private member’s bill, which commanded wide all-party support.

Under the Act, the C&AG:

Formally became an Officer of the House of Commons,
Was given the express power to report to Parliament at his own discretion on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which government bodies have used public funds.
The Act also established the National Audit Office (NAO) to replace the Exchequer and Audit Department in support of the C&AG.

The rest of the UK

Wales

The Wales Audit Office is headed by the Auditor General for Wales who

directly audits the Welsh Assembly Government and the NHS in Wales or, in the case of local government, appoints auditors to undertake financial audit and examine local value for money matters. He reports to the Welsh Assembly.

Scotland

The Auditor General, who scrutinises the Scottish Government and bodies including the Scottish NHS; and the Accounts Commission for Scotland, which oversees local government audit, are both supported by Audit Scotland.

Northern Ireland

There has been a separated Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland since the foundation of the state in 1921. He heads the Northern Ireland Audit Office which audits central and local government functions and reports to the Northern Ireland Assembly.