The Compact is a voluntary agreement that sets out shared principles for effective partnership working between the government and voluntary and civil society organisations in England. This report examines departments’ progress in implementing the recommendations in our 2012 report on the Compact.
The BBC’s cost reduction programme has so far delivered value for money. However, the need to make further savings from productivity improvements will involve more challenging and potentially disruptive changes to structures and ways of working.
Since 2010 there has been an increase in the number of companies in government at the same time as a reduction in the number of public bodies which raises issues of transparency, accountability, governance and review.
It is important that the services for vulnerable people at the Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre are delivered ‘right first time’ and this did not happen here. Steps are now being taken to address the problems but 35% of the recommendations from Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ 2015 inspection have not yet been implemented.
The incentives on government Accounting Officers to prioritise value for money are weak compared to those associated with the day-to-day job of satisfying Ministers.
The Building Public Trust Awards recognise trust and transparency in corporate reporting. This is the 12th year in which PwC has presented these annual awards.
Since privatisation, Ofwat and Defra have overseen major improvements in water quality and service quality. Customers have seen a marked rise in bills but not the benefits of companies’ unexpected financial gains.
If the government is serious about increasing its use of small and medium – sized enterprises (SMEs), it will need to focus on those areas where SMEs can deliver real benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions has not yet achieved value for money in managing contracted-out health and disability assessments.
An interactive summary of the NAO’s presentations at Civil Service Live events, 2015, on four pervasive issues blocking public service improvement.
Against a backdrop of increasing pressure on NHS finances, NHS England has not controlled the rising cost of specialised services.
The welfare cap is encouraging a greater understanding of spending on some benefits and tax credits across government, but it is important that processes for managing the cap are reliable.
HS2 is a large, complex and ambitious programme which is facing cost and time pressures. The unrealistic timetable set for HS2 Ltd by the Department means they are not as ready to deliver as they hoped to be at this point.
The Public Bodies Reform Programme is making good progress in abolishing or merging public bodies and reducing their costs, but triennial reviews of remaining bodies need to be much more effective.
This report outlines the importance of recognising and adequately managing conflicts of interest.
Public Health England has made a good start in supporting local authorities with their new responsibilities for public health but it is too soon to tell whether its approach is achieving value for money.
The Environment Agency has improved the cost effectiveness and prioritization of its flood risk spending but current spending is insufficient to meet many flood defence maintenance needs.
MOD has made good progress stabilising the equipment programme but needs to set out how a bespoke trading entity will transform Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) into the leading defence acquisition organisation by 2017.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has taken steps since November 2014 to improve its understanding of new burdens on local authorities.
Police forces have successfully reduced costs since 2011, but do not have a clear understanding of the demands placed upon them or of the factors that affect their costs.