What we do
Our vision is to help the nation spend
wisely.
We apply the unique perspective of public audit to help
Parliament and government drive lasting improvement in public
services.
The National Audit Office (NAO) scrutinises public spending on
behalf of Parliament, helping it to hold government departments to
account and helping public service managers improve performance and
service delivery.
We audit the financial statements of all government departments
and a wide range of other public bodies, and produce around 60
value for money reports per year.
Our audit work has two strands:
- We audit the financial statements of all central government
departments, agencies and other public bodies and report the
results to Parliament. (In 2010-11, we audited expenditure and
revenue amounting to some £950 billion across 470 accounts.)
- In addition, our value for money studies - we publish about 60
each year - look at how government projects, programmes and
initiatives have been implemented. They contain recommendations on
how services can be improved.
Our work programme is focused on three areas that impact on all
departments' performance in achieving value for money: improving
financial management and reporting; making better use of
information; and ensuring that services are delivered
cost-effectively.
Our work leads to savings and other efficiency gains worth many
millions of pounds: more than £1 billion in 2010.
See also:
National Audit Office Annual report
2011