Both organisations have achieved cost reduction and performance improvement, but poor planning and delayed delivery of projects hampered progress.
BIS needs more coherent planning, rather than short-term fire fighting, to meet its spending review challenges and deliver better value for money.
The Pensions Regulator and other agencies regulating defined contribution pension schemes should take a concerted approach towards collecting evidence and assessing risks to members.
The NHS delivered a £2.1bn surplus in 2011-12 but there is some financial distress in NHS trusts with some very large deficits.
The Programme launch has been successful, however key risks remain such as the planned delivery of new homes towards the end of the programme period.
The NAO, Better Regulation Executive and the Better Regulation Delivery Office have published a survey into businesses’ perception of regulation.
The report finds variations in health outcomes across the four nations, and will help health departments examine how better value for money could be achieved.
The MOD is buying more inventory than it uses and not consistently disposing of stock it no longer needs using money that could be spent elsewhere.
Investment of £110bn in electricity infrastructure is needed by 2020 to meet increase in demand, to provide back-up capacity, and because of scheduled closure of one fifth of existing capacity.
Using competition to award companies licences to transmit electricity from offshore wind farms has benefits but consumers might end up bearing the cost of inflation.
Internal audit costs government around £70 million each year, but quality varies and it is poor value for money.
Following review by a former tax judge, the NAO concludes that all five settlements were reasonable but there is concern over the settlement processes.
Central government needs to have better engagement with local government, particularly as more services are devolved.
This report draws out good practice lessons from three local improvement projects. It has been produced jointly by the National Audit Office, Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.
Diabetes care in the NHS is poor, with low achievement of treatment standards, high numbers of avoidable deaths and annual spending reaching an estimated £3.9 billion.
The Treasury’s 2009 decision to split Northern Rock in two was reasonable at the time but the final net cost to the taxpayer could be some £2 billion.
Reported fraud in Employment Programmes is low despite past flaws such as in the New Deal. New improvement controls are better, yet risks remain.
The £1.4 billion funding could result in 41,000 extra full-time equivalent private sector jobs but thousands more could have been created from the same resources.
The BBC has reduced its spending on support functions but in future it should plan for cuts by clearly defining the level of service it requires and what that should cost.
This management report examines how the National Offender Management Service planned and is implementing the restructure of its headquarters.