The National Audit Office has today called for a step change improvement in how central government departments work with each other and with regional and local bodies, if the Government’s ambitious aspirations for the Thames Gateway region are to be realised. The Government has set out its vision to make the Thames Gateway, the area […]
Head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn has today reported to Parliament that he is qualifying his opinion on the accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions. This is because of substantial levels of estimated losses from fraud and error in benefit payments and material uncertainties about the level of debt resulting […]
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office resource accounts for 2005-06, published today, include a report by Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, on the theft and misuse of satellite phones in Iraq. The NAO report provides Parliament with details of losses of £594,000 caused by the unauthorised use of satellite telephones in Iraq. […]
The Department for Work and Pensions have made good progress in tackling benefit fraud and estimating the level of fraud and error in key benefits, according to the National Audit Office. By March 2002 the Department had cut the estimated level of fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance by 24 per cent […]
Two schemes, administered until recently by the Department of Trade and Industry, to compensate miners for damage to their health has resulted in the settlement of some 575,000 claims by March 2007, the payment of £3.6 billion in compensation and administration costs of £1.9 billion. A report out today by the National Audit Office has […]
This briefing has been prepared for the Defence Committee of the House of Commons to provide an overview of the work and performance of the Ministry of Defence in the financial year 2009-10 and subsequent months.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS’s) free face-to-face advice for people struggling with debt has helped more people than planned, at slightly less than the planned cost per person, and is highly regarded by those that use it. However, demand is now outstripping capacity.
The NAO have compiled this briefing for the Environmental Audit Committee in support of the inquiry it is undertaking on the impact of UK overseas aid on environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The Ministry of Defence has done much to improve the management of the major repair and overhaul of land equipment but there is more to do, including addressing the future role and shape of its in-house provider, the Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO), Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today. […]
The Emergency Services Network is one of the most technologically advanced systems worldwide and is set to replace the existing emergency services communication system, Airwave. However several risks have been highlighted.
Government departments are continuing to make progress in improving the quality and timeliness of their accounts which they submit for audit. However, according to head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn, a large number of departments will need to make significant further effort if they are to meet the Treasury’s timetable for the […]
This briefing was prepared for the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Select Committee to support its evidence session on the work of the Ofgem.
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 […]
This briefing has been prepared to help inform the House of Commons Health Select Committee examination of Health Resource Allocation.
Under the Wider Markets Initiative government departments could provide real gains to the public sector, according to the NAO. The initiative encourages the public sector to make fuller use of core public assets in an enterprising way – developing and selling new goods and services. Where undertaken, such new activities are working well. The benefits […]
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.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that GCHQs new headquarter building, which will cost GCHQ about 46 million a year, and which was procured through a PFI deal, was on track to be delivered on time and within its finally determined budget; and it was handled well overall. […]
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 Memorandum was prepared for the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change select committee to support its inquiry into the implications of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for UK deep water drilling.