The National Audit Office’s annual report on the top 20 defence equipment projects shows that, in the last year, the forecast cost has actually decreased by £700 million but on average each project has been delayed by two and a half months. The delays are mainly due to technical problems in three projects: CIP (which […]
There is a shortfall of 5,170 (2.8 per cent) trained Armed Forces personnel against the Ministry of Defence’s estimated requirements. Only the Army is within “manning balance”, and there are wider shortages of personnel in specific trade groups. According to today’s report to Parliament, by head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn, there […]
Giving greater responsibility and discretion to local authorities to identify flood risk and target investment raises significant challenges, especially during a time of budget cuts and other newly devolved responsibilities. Greater value for money can be achieved through these reforms, but key elements of what is required are not yet in place.
This report assesses the robustness of the Ministry of Defence’s financial data and assumptions for its Equipment Plan 2018-2028.
This report applies experience from auditing cross-government challenges to highlight the risks government needs to manage to achieve net zero.
This report assesses the Ministry of Defence’s approach to reducing and reforming its civilian workforce.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported today that in the last year, costs on the MOD’s 20 biggest equipment projects have increased by £1.7 billion and that these projects have been delayed by three months each on average. The problems on these projects show that the sensible principles of Smart Acquisition […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the Ministry of Defence has a good system for reporting the readiness of its Armed Forces, which continues to improve. More work is required, however, both to better define and measure its Public Service Agreement target for readiness, and to define and […]
The NAO has highlighted five risks to the value for money of some national infrastructure projects.
This briefing was prepared for the House of Commons Defence Committee to help inform its inquiry into the education of Service personnel, its fourth in a series of inquiries looking at the workings of the Armed Forces Covenant.
In February 2012, the Committee of Public Accounts held a hearing on the defence landscape. This review was prepared in advance of the hearing, by the National Audit Office for the Committee’s information.
The competition to let this franchise lacked oversight. The full cost to the taxpayer is unknown, but likely to be significant.
The Ministry of Defence is at the forefront of best practice in some areas of contract negotiation but needs to achieve these high levels more consistently, the National Audit Office reported today. The report to Parliament by head of the NAO, Sir John Bourn, looks at the importance of good contract management and builds on […]
Pooling the Royal Navy’s, Army’s and Royal Air Force’s battlefield helicopters has brought significant benefits, Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today. Efficiencies have been produced through a joined up approach, by standardising procedures and removing duplication, but there is a large shortfall in helicopter capability and further improvements […]
The Whole of Government Accounts consolidates the public sector’s accounts to produce a picture of the UK’s public finances.
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the costs of compensation claims paid by the Ministry of Defence are on the increase and that more can be done to keep down the cost of handling claims and to improve the service to claimants. Compensation and legal costs have risen […]
This briefing was prepared for the House of Commons Defence Committee to help inform its inquiry into the education of Service children, its third in a series of inquiries looking at the workings of the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Ministry of Defence’s privatisation of the defence technology business QinetiQ safeguarded the viability of a business of national strategic importance and generated significant proceeds for the taxpayer. However, the NAO believes the taxpayer could have received more money from the deal. Risks remain which the MoD must manage carefully if long term value for […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that Through-Life Management of the delivery of military capability is complex. It involves major change for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and those doing business with it. The MoD has more to do to embed the Through-Life Management approach and realise the […]