Resources for Parliament

The National Audit Office (NAO) works on behalf of Parliament and the taxpayer to hold government to account for the use of public money and to help public services improve performance. The relationship with Parliament is central to the roles of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and NAO.

We look to place our skills at the service of Parliament as a whole, supporting the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), other select committees from both Houses and individual Members in their scrutiny of public expenditure and service delivery.

Our work

The C&AG is a statutory Officer of the House of Commons and the results of our work are presented to Parliament by Order of the House of Commons.

Our reports

We published over 60 major reports to Parliament and audited some 430 accounts to Parliament in 2013/14. We also provided 20 Select Committees with a wide range of support in addition to our core work for PAC. Our latest Select Committee reports include:

• Sustainability in the spending review
  This briefing responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee that we review how the 2015 spending review took account of environmental issues.
  
  
• Memorandum: The Future of Jobcentre Plus Inquiry
  This memorandum has been prepared to inform the Work and Pensions Committee’s inquiry into the future of Jobcentre Plus (JCP). As part of its inquiry, the Committee is considering the likely effects of planned welfare policy changes on JCP footfall and the configuration of JCP offices. This memorandum describes the current JCP estate and summarises some of the trends in unemployment benefit caseloads in recent years.
  
  
• Service Family Accommodation
  This memorandum has been prepared to support the Committee of Public Accounts’ consideration of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) provision of accommodation to its service personnel.
  
  
• Departmental sustainability overview: Department for Transport
  This briefing responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee to review sustainability within the Department for Transport.
  
  
• Memorandum: Extending the Right to Buy
  This memorandum has been prepared to support the Committee of Public Accounts to consider the approach taken by DCLG in assessing the impacts and value for money arising from aspects of its Housing and Planning Bill.
  
  
• Trends in total UK Official Development Assistance and the Department for International Development’s expenditure
  The NAO’s memorandum, for the International Development Committee, provides an overview of trends in UK spending on aid.
  
  
• Environmental and sustainability metrics briefing
  This briefing gives a high-level overview of the range of metrics that government uses to assess and report on sustainable development and environmental protection, and how these compare with good practice principles for a performance management framework.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Cabinet Office
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department of Health
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to HM Treasury
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to Environmental protection and sustainable development
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides relating to each government department and some cross-government issues, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to HM Revenue & Customs
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to Network Rail
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides relating to each government department and some cross-government issues, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for Transport
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the NAO’s work on local authorities
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides relating to each government department and some cross-government issues, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for Communities and Local Government
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to Regulation
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides relating to each government department and some cross-government issues, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for Education
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Ministry of Defence
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Home Office
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department of Energy & Climate Change
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  
• A Short Guide to the Department for International Development
  The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides, one for each government department, to assist House of Commons Select Committees.
  
  

View our full list of Select Committee reports.

We produce performance briefings to assist Select Committees’ annual oversight of departments’ performance, the latest of which include:

• Departmental Overview: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
  This guide is designed to provide a quick and accessible overview of the Department and focuses in particular on where we believe the Department’s performance could be improved, using examples from our published work.
  
  
• Departmental Overview: The performance of HM Revenue & Customs 2013-14
  This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we have produced covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the HM Revenue & Customs 2013-14
  
  
• Departmental Overview: The performance of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport 2013-14
  This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we have produced covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Culture, Media & Sport 2013-14.
  
  
• Departmental Overview: The performance of the Ministry of Defence 2013-14
  This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we are producing covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Ministry of Defence during 2013-14.
  
  
• Departmental Overview: The performance of the Department of Health 2013-14
  This Departmental Overview is one of 17 we have produced covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Health.
  
  

View our full list of departmental overviews.

To keep up to date with all our publications follow the links below:

• Publications – our reports and press notices
• Work in progress – our upcoming work

MPs and researchers who wish to be added to our press notice list should email our press office at pressoffice@nao.gsi.gov.uk

Enquiries from MPs

We also deal with a complex and wide range of enquiries from Members of Parliament which on occasion may lead to a full value for money report.