"Given the importance of geographic information to the
activities of Defra, it is surprising how little it knows about
whether its strategy is achieving value for money.
"The Department’s geographic information systems have
developed significantly, but they should serve the business needs
of the Department much more coherently if good public value is to
be demonstrated."
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 13
July 2011
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs has delivered some value from the £39.3 million spent on
its geographic information strategy and activities, the National
Audit Office has reported today. However, the Department has not
tracked the full cost of geographic information and systems to it
or its arm’s length bodies, or systematically measured benefits.
The Department has been able to identify savings of only
approximately £9 million. The figures for costs and benefits are
both likely to be underestimates. This lack of financial
information means that the NAO cannot determine that value for
money has been achieved.
Accurate and often real time geographic
information is a vital resource used by the Department and its
arm’s length bodies for a wide range of activities including policy
making, decision making, day-to-day operations and keeping the
public informed. The Department has recognised this and has had a
geographical information strategy in place since 2002. However,
neither the original strategy, nor the updated 2009 version, set
business targets for cost reduction or quantified the benefits that
could be achieved by collaboration or by sharing geographic
information and systems.
The aim of the strategy is to share geographic
information between the Department and its arm’s length bodies, as
well as make best use of geographic information systems. It has
focused on technology provision, building and operating a range of
common geographic information services and negotiating licenses on
behalf of arm’s length bodies that are willing to participate. The
Department has had some success in delivering these services, but
has not quantified the costs and benefits of geographic information
and systems in all its arm’s length bodies. Although the Department
has put in place appropriate technical governance, strategic
governance arrangements could be strengthened.
The Department and its arm’s length bodies
have a good level of specialist skills, but these skills could be
better integrated into the business so that the benefits of
geographic information are fully realised across the
Department.
Publication details:
HC: 1274, 2010-2012
ISBN: 9780102969788