There is wide variation in the extent to which £79 billion in central funding allocated to local health bodies differs from target allocations that are based on relative need.
• This is NAO’s first report on funding since the 2013 health reforms took effect. Where possible comparisons have been made with funding under the previous system set out in a 2011 NAO report.
This investigation examines the Home Office’s response to suspected cheating in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
This Departmental Overview is one of 15 we are producing covering our work on each major government department. It summarises our work on the Department for Communities and Local Government during 2011-12.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
This report aims to provide greater clarity on the financial settlement in advance of the ‘meaningful vote’.
The Department for Education is not meeting its objectives to improve the quality of care and the stability of placements for children in care.
It has not yet been demonstrated that funding mechanisms for supporting local economic growth are capable of delivering value for money.
Local authorities have worked hard to manage reductions in government funding, but the DCLG needs to be better informed about the situation across England.
Central government needs to have better engagement with local government, particularly as more services are devolved.
The use of PFI by local authorities to improve housing, usually in areas with a high need for housing and where stock condition is particularly poor, has had a measure of success. However, risks to value for money of the programme have not been managed.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified his audit opinion on the 2011-12 financial statements of the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) because of irregular ex-gratia payments, totalling £51,000, made by the Agency to its staff.
Government’s plans for asylum accommodation will cost more than using hotels, and large sites are housing fewer people than planned.
Gaps in how public bodies manage conflicts of interest among staff pose a risk to government’s ability to perform its functions objectively.
This report aims to evaluate and conclude on HM Treasury’s overall approach to over-indebtedness.
Not all local authorities’ Council Tax support scheme will achieve the objectives outlined by the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Cloud services’ can bring cost and performance benefits. But they can also bring new challenges and risks. To help leaders oversee decision-making and implementation of cloud services, we recently published ‘Guidance for audit committees on cloud services’. The magazine, Public Sector Executive, invited us to outline the issues in the article The National Audit Office’s guide […]
Our report looks at why home to school transport is one of the fastest growing areas of spending for local authorities in England.
The lack of predictability of funding for highways authorities has practical implications for road networks and may lead to increased costs in the long term.
A new NAO report finds that the proportion of benefit expenditure overpaid remains too high, but overpayment levels are now reducing.