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 on the transfer of social housing from local authorities to registered social landlords (RSLs). His report highlights improvements in the condition of transferred housing and the quality of services to tenants. The report also identifies ways in which the transfer programme could […]
Section 161 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires me to examine and certify the National Insurance Fund Account and this report records the results of my examination of the 1997-98 account.
The acquisition of the Heart Hospital represented an entrepreneurial and novel approach to improving patient services, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today. The NHS acted quickly to take advantage of an unusual opportunity and acquired the hospital and its equipment at a good price. Activities at the Heart […]
Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are often not used in the right way, according to a report published today by the National Audit Office. The report finds that the purpose of RIAs is not always understood, there is a lack of clarity in the presentation of the analysis and persistent weaknesses in the assessments. As a […]
Regulatory impact assessments (RIA) have helped contribute to better policy making and reducing the costs to business according to a National Audit Office report published today. It concludes that while there are many examples of good practice in the process of preparing RIAs across Whitehall, there is room for improvement. Presenting the report to Parliament, […]
Since 1999, low cost home ownership (LCHO) assistance has helped 40,000 people to buy their properties. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has made a commitment to help an extra 100,000 households into home ownership by 2010. But demand for assistance far exceeds supply. In 2004-05, 11,000 households received assistance through Government funded […]
Four out of five students starting a full-time course in England are expected to complete their course, the NAO reported today. The United Kingdom’s performance on retention compares favourably with most other OECD countries, during a period of expansion in higher education. In a new report to Parliament, published as students await their A level […]
MOD expects to secure significant benefits as a result of letting a PFI contract for the redevelopment of its Head Office Main Building in Whitehall according to Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office in a report presented to Parliament today. As a result of letting a 30 year PFI contract with a […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that the Invest to Save (ISB) programme has fostered better working together by organisations, departments, agencies and local authorities. But there is less evidence of what the programme has achieved in terms of tangible outputs. In its study of the Invest to Save Budget, […]
IT services are crucial for HM Revenue & Customs’ business. In its procurement of the £3 billion IT outsourcing contract, ASPIRE, the Department secured competition for a contract which meets its IT needs, and completed the transfer to the new supplier Capgemini without loss of service to customers. The Department secured the competition by contributing […]
A report by the National Audit Office today has highlighted the major challenge faced by the Department for Education and Skills in reducing pupil absence from schools. The Department, together with local authorities and schools, has made some progress in reducing total absence. At the same time, there has been no decline in unauthorised absence, […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that although the Private Finance Initiative deal for the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was in many respects unique, the lessons to be learned from the project’s near collapse are not. The report makes three key points. In negotiating with the […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn today reported to Parliament on the National Insurance Fund account for 2002-03. His examination indicates that, in total, the level of fraud and error in National Insurance Fund benefits was significantly less than one per cent of expenditure. Sir John was therefore able to give an […]
The Department for International Development works well with civil society organisations (CSOs) to help some of the world’s poorest people, according to today’s National Audit Office report. But the department needs better information on the effectiveness of CSOs in developing countries, and on the impact of its assistance, if it is to ensure aid is […]
The head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn reported today on the Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI). His report acknowledges the considerable potential and early success of CMI and identifies important lessons for departments on setting up and managing innovative ventures in the future. CMI, a company jointly owned by Cambridge University and the Massachusetts […]
An ambitious diversity programme that helps attract the best talent and encourages all staff to contribute fully is essential if we are to deliver our challenging corporate strategy.
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the Ministry of Defence has made considerable progress in developing new approaches to the management of its Research and Technology (R&T) programme to deliver better outcomes for Defence, but the Department could do more to get the full benefit from the money […]
HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) contract with Synnex-Concentrix UK Ltd was terminated in November 2016. The contract was designed to add capacity to HMRC’s programme of interventions to prevent or detect error and fraud in personal tax credits awards. HMRC estimated that the contract would save £1 billion over its three year life time and an estimated £193 million, excluding Concentrix’s costs, had been saved by the time of contract termination.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that since electricity supply competition began in September 1998 more than 6.5 million customers – one in four – have saved money by changing supplier. Domestic electricity customers as a whole have seen their electricity bills fall by some £750 million a year since […]