NESTA has established generally sound approaches to selecting which projects to support and to managing its portfolio of awards, and two of its three funding programmes have done well to generate interest and applications. But, according to a report published today by Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, it needs to make […]
There were problems in performance during the first seven months after the launch of the Criminal Records Bureau but, following joint action by the Bureau, Capita and the Home Office, the Bureau is now delivering reliably each week over twice the number of Disclosures of criminal records undertaken by the police under the old arrangements. […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to parliament today that there are early indications that the New Deal for Communities programme, under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is helping to tackle the problems of deprived communities and, despite some difficulties that have been encountered, the programme holds potential for […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that contingent risks he and the Public Accounts Committee had identified following British Energy’s privatisation had materialised. The Department for Trade and Industry had clearly recognised the risks to the taxpayer arising from the nuclear liabilities of British Energy. However, while the Company appeared […]
New trains on Britain’s railways are bringing significant benefits to passengers, according to a report by the National Audit Office. Most have been late entering service, however, and it is unlikely that the statutory deadline of December 2004 for removing all the oldest slam-door trains from the network will be met. Lack of capacity to […]
The museums and galleries core funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport raised over £100 million in addition to their government grant last year. They used this income to help them invest in their collections, buildings and facilities and to promote access to their collections through financing touring exhibitions, education, and outreach work. Today’s […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that he had identified five critical issues which departments must pay careful attention to if the extra £61 billion spent on improving public services over the next three years is to have its full impact. It is too early to tell whether […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reporting today on the top 20 defence equipment projects in demonstration and manufacture, told Parliament that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was expecting to meet the capability requirements of its customers, and difficulties on four projects predating the introduction of Smart Acquisition had been the primary […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn reported to Parliament today that the Youth Justice Board, established in September 1998, has successfully developed and introduced a range of new non-custodial sentences and programmes for young offenders. There is scope, however, for the Board to improve forecasting of custodial numbers, deciding of placements and […]
Water and sewerage companies have taken action to remove the risk of sewer flooding from 3,300 properties in England and Wales since 2000. Ofwat has played an important role in achieving this reduction, according to a report published today by Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office. However, Ofwat and companies face a […]
Sir John Bourn, the Comptroller and Auditor General and Head of the NAO, today published his first report on the Policing Board’s arrangements to secure continuous improvement in their work and in the work of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Under the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, it is a new requirement which […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the refinancing of the public private partnership for NATS, completed late last year, has put the Company on a much more robust financial footing, enabling it to make further vital investment to expand the capacity of Air Traffic Control to meet future growth […]
Recent changes have allowed Government departments to make improved use of money, assets and other resources. Many departments have begun to take advantage of these tools but they can still do more to better manage what they have so that they can deliver high quality public services, Sir John Bourn, the head of the NAO, […]
The United Kingdom’s military operations in Iraq were a significant success and personnel and equipment performed impressively, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today. However, as the Department has acknowledged, there were difficulties in ensuring that front line forces received the equipment and supplies that they needed. United Kingdom […]
When measuring the performance of maintained schools in improving the academic achievements of their pupils, the Department for Education and Skills should take account of newly available data on the academic achievements of the pupils in earlier stages of their education and on aspects of their economic, social and cultural backgrounds. This recommendation appears in […]
Also available: Incentivization of e-government (404 kb). HM Customs and Excise’s major programme to use e-technology to improve the efficiency of their business operations and services, although at an early stage, is already showing signs of being able to transform the department’s performance. However, today’s report to Parliament by head of the National Audit Office […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to parliament today that Regional Development Agencies have performed well in their first four years. In order to build on this success the relationship between RDAs and government must continue to evolve. The aim of the reports recommendations is to streamline bureaucracy and enable RDAs […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, today published a report on the Inland Revenue’s Resource Account and Trust Statement account of tax and national insurance collected, for the year 2002-2003. Sir John confirmed that overall the Inland Revenue continued to secure an effective check over the assessment, collection and allocation of tax during the […]