The Environment Agency’s approach to tackling diffuse water pollution, such as run-off from agricultural land, has not, to date, proved value for money. The development of River Basin Management Plans now offers an opportunity to target work by the Agency and others to tackle this complex problem.
The Highways Agency, as part of its Making Better Use programme to bring quick relief from road congestion on England’s motorways and trunk roads, is taking steps to improve the information it gives to motorists and to strengthen its ability to deal with incidents and accidents. According to today’s report by the National Audit Office, […]
Without clearer leadership from Departments there is a risk that the Government’s target to halt the rise in obesity in children under 11 will not be met. This is a key finding of a joint report published today by the Audit Commission, the Healthcare Commission and the National Audit Office. The report investigates the strength […]
Patients’ experiences of cancer services in England in 2004 have broadly improved on the situation in 2000, when the NHS Cancer Plan was introduced, according to head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn. Patients responding to a national survey of cancer patients carried out by the NAO were more positive, to a greater […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that cancer patients are increasingly surviving the disease as a result of the new initiatives launched by the Department of Health and the NHS over the last decade. But the NHS needs to continue to do more to ensure all patients are treated swiftly […]
This National Audit Office (NAO) report examines whether DWP has an effective approach to tackling overpayments in the welfare system.
Government-led initiatives to help unemployed people find work are having a real impact. Programmes such as the New Deal have helped reduce the number of people on benefit, and the average length of claims. However, too many people still do not stay in work once they have found it and more now needs to be […]
Sustainable development is a devolved issue and this briefing covers government policy in England with a brief overview of the work of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This briefing, prepared for the Environmental Audit Committee, provides an update on the quality of sustainability reporting by central government departments. It includes a review of current and planned requirements.
This briefing responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee that we review how the 2015 spending review took account of environmental issues.
The financial performance of acute hospital trusts has deteriorated sharply and their financial performance looks set to worsen in 2015-16.
Sure Start Children’s Centres are valued by most of the families who use them, according to the National Audit Office. The families reached by children’s centres are some of the most disadvantaged, though the early signs are that more still needs to be done to reach and support some of the most excluded groups. The […]
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his regularity opinion on the Supreme Court’s financial statements because of a £665,000 unauthorised breach of one of its Parliamentary spending limits.
The FCO and UKTI will need to contribute much more effectively to efforts to increase the value of UK exports to £1 trillion a year by 2020.
DBT must improve how it supports UK industries to help government maximise the impact of the Industrial Strategy and grow the economy.
Central Government spends over £2.6 billion a year supporting small business. The Small Business Service (SBS) is responsible for leading Government actions for small business primarily through leading on a Government Action Plan. The SBS has delivered some successful projects itself, but to date it does not have measures to establish its overall impact, or […]
The National Audit Office has reported today that Government departments and local health and social care organisations do not have enough information on numbers of adults with autism. They also lack a full understanding and awareness of the condition, limiting their ability to plan and deliver services effectively. Autism, which includes Asperger syndrome, is a […]
DWP has reduced the level of support it offers to Universal Credit claimants due to a shortage of available work coaches at jobcentres.
It is unclear whether a government programme to expand 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by December 2025 will be delivered on time.
This report considers lessons DLUHC has learned from implementing local growth policies, and how it has applied them.