The NAO Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 provides details about our work and performance.

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Our purpose is to support Parliament in holding government to account for use of taxpayers’ money. This report details the role we have played over 2020-21, providing assurance through our audit of £1.8 trillion of expenditure and examining whether public bodies are achieving value for money in their use of public resources. 

 Key highlights include: 

  • Publication of 61 major outputs, comprising value for money, lessons learned and wider assurance reports 
  • Certifying over 400 public bodies’ accounts totalling £1.8 trillion of expenditure 
  • Driving positive financial impacts across the public sector of £926 million  
  • Supporting 63 Committee of Public Accounts evidence sessions. Including 17 focused on our reports on the government’s response to COVID-19 covering government procurement in the pandemic, the supply of personal protection equipment (PPE) to the NHS and social care, the creation of the Test and Trace operation and many others. 
  • Delivering the first year of our new strategy for 2020-25, making substantial progress on our new strategic priorities that will help us to make a bigger difference 

The report also reflects the substantial progress we have made on our new strategy 2020-25, that will help us to make a bigger difference and our response to the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19.  

Two complementary corporate reports covering our performance during 2020-21 have been published: 

The NAO’s 2020-21 Transparency Report explains the role we play as the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. The report also includes the findings from the latest round of external and internal inspection reviews on our audit quality including the steps we are taking to address these findings in line with the ambitious plans we have set out in our new five-year strategy.  

The Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report summarises our progress and activities against our Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and highlights key areas of focus for 2021-25.

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