The sale of Eurostar generated proceeds of £757m. The government prepared well for the sale and achieved its objectives to maximise proceeds. The sale illustrates some general lessons for government as it embarks on its asset sales programme.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the financial management of the European Union. His report summarises the main findings of the European Court of Auditors’ report, published in November 2005, on the European Council’s accounts for 2004. Sir John also highlighted other key developments in financial […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had sold the British Ambassador’s official Residence on the Glencairn estate in Dublin and spent £6.4 million on purchasing Marlay Grange as a replacement. Having spent a further £0.7 million on refurbishing the property it then decided […]
This is our second report on backlogs for elective and cancer care. It examines the design of NHSE’s recovery plan, how the NHS has been implementing the plan and the ongoing risks NHSE has to manage.
This report looks at how much government departments spent on their activities preparing for the UK’s exit from the EU.
The reaction of the Department for International Development to the Indian Ocean Tsunami was both rapid and impressive Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today. The first of many cargoes of relief supplies was airlifted to the affected area within 24 hours. However DFID need to strengthen their financial […]
This investigation examines the Home Office’s response to suspected cheating in the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).
This report focuses on what Official Development Assistance spending is achieving in practice.
As part of our work to evaluate how well the UK Government is tackling the renewal of the Thames Gateway we explored how seven European cities or regions are tackling ambitious regeneration and bringing sustainable growth and renewal to local communities. We published our research as a companion piece to the Thames Gateway report.
This report examines whether Defra is well placed to redevelop the UK’s primary site for managing threats from animal diseases.
In the context of more than 1 billion people lacking access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people lacking basic sanitation facilities, the Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) projects to improve access to water and sanitation in developing countries have been largely successful, the National Audit Office reports today. Between 1997 and 2002 DFID […]
The Ministry of Defence’s strategy for improving its financial management has put its finances on a sounder footing and is delivering results, but there are still considerable challenges ahead, including delivering the savings already removed from budget allocations.
This page is part of our Freedom of Information (FOI) Publication Scheme. Senior staff remuneration In the spirit of transparency, the NAO provides details of the salaries of all our senior staff. Travel and Hospitality Expenditure Introduction The National Audit Office has decided to make a voluntary disclosure of the expenditure incurred from NAO funds […]
We published two reports today – Following the discovery of widespread and deep-rooted weaknesses in the government’s management of contracts it is starting to improve how it manages its contracts.
The Department for International Development responds quickly and, in general, effectively when intervening in humanitarian emergencies, especially sudden-onset disasters, and has helped to save lives. However, according to a report to Parliament by the National Audit Office, DFID should do more to measure and evaluate the success of its humanitarian work in order to learn […]
Under the Scheme, the Treasury guarantees that lenders to infrastructure projects will be repaid in full and on time, irrespective of project performance. The NAO is calling for the Treasury to be rigorous and objective in assessing whether the guarantees, which transfer risk to the public sector, are genuinely needed.
Corruption is a significant obstacle to the development of effective government systems and, consequently, to the delivery of improved services to the world’s poor.
Review of a sample of the data systems underpinning the input and impact indicators in the Home Office’s Business Plan, Common Areas of Spend and wider management information.
This review was carried out on the 2012-15 Business Plan. Revised Business Plans were issued in June 2013.