Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the National Lottery Commission had a sound basis for its decision to award the second licence to run the National Lottery to Camelot. However, he expressed concerns for the future about the extent of competition and the advantages held by the incumbent […]
The cost of clinical negligence in trusts is significant and rising fast, placing increasing financial pressure on an already stretched system.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the Private Finance Initiative deal for the new British Embassy in Berlin is likely to provide a suitable building at a price slightly lower than a comparable conventional procurement. The contract provides for the construction of a new Embassy building and its […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the Radiocommunications Agency* has successfully entered into a partnership with CMG plc**, a global Information and Communications Technology group, which could result in significant financial savings. In June 1998 the Agency and CMG plc established a joint venture company, Radio Spectrum […]
This examines whether the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has achieved the objectives of the UK Green Investment Bank intervention, and whether UK Government Investments has achieved value for money in the subsequent sale of the Bank.
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 […]
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the funding competition used to finance the refurbishment of the Treasury building in Whitehall saved the taxpayer £13 million. The competition resulted in savings of 7% of the cost of the deal over the lifetime of the project and assisted greatly in […]
Competition helps provide value for money and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses non-competitive procurement only where there are compelling reasons. It may not always be practicable or sensible to use competitive procurement, however, and over the last five years one quarter of the annual £9 billion defence equipment and services budget has been spent […]
On 15 January 2018, Carillion declared insolvency and the Official Receiver, an employee of the Insolvency Service, started to liquidate its assets and contracts. This report focuses on the role of the UK government in preparing for and managing the liquidation of Carillion.
This report sets out the history of Contracts for Difference and how the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy designed the 2017 auction, including the changes it made to the rules related to the capacity cap, and the impact these changes had.
The first sale of government shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland in August 2015 was well planned and organised and represented value for money.
This report builds on our previous work and takes stock of the Ministry of Justice’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn today reported on the Connexions Service, concluding that it is a radical change in the delivery of advice and guidance to young people and is on target to meeting its major objective of reducing the proportion of 16- to 18-year olds not in education, employment or […]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s decision to provide additional public funding for the English national stadium project at Wembley is an example of well managed risk taking, Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office said today. The Department, working closely with Sport England, has thoroughly reviewed the project and taken appropriate […]
Homelessness has increased across all measures since 2010, with many local authorities now seeing it as a risk to their financial sustainability.
This report examines whether Ofsted’s approach to inspecting schools is providing value for money. We assessed Ofsted’s role, performance and impact.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the financial analysis* carried out for the London Underground Public Private Partnerships cannot, on its own, be expected to show clearly which public or private sector option for managing and funding the Tube will provide better value for money. Sir John […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that the seven operational PFI prisons are bringing benefits to the Prison Service. One of the key benefits is that the existence of PFI prisons has encouraged the public sector to improve its performance. For instance, Prison Service management teams have recently […]
This report examines the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s role, its governance, and the complex challenges it faces in delivering its long-term mission; progress with reducing high hazard and risk at Sellafield, and limitations to faster progress; and the NDA and Sellafield Limited’s plans to ensure sustainable progress at Sellafield.
The BBC’s approach to managing its workforce shows definite progress. It will need to monitor workforce changes carefully to build on the recent progress it has made.