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Northern Ireland Court Service – PFI: The Laganside Courts

“This was an early PFI deal and the new courts have only been up and running for just over a year. It is apparent to us that the project is an example of imaginative and successful design of a building that is providing a vastly superior service to its users than the nineteenth century Crumlin Road Courthouse, good no doubt in its time, that preceded it. However, there are improvements to be made in how performance is managed now the courts are open for business.”

Sector(s): Devolved Administrations, Law and the justice system

Published:
4 Jun 2003

Ministry of Defence: Through Life Management

“Through-Life Management offers many benefits both in terms of better-informed management of acquisition programmes and better delivery of military capability. The MoD has undertaken massive change over recent years including the implementation of Through-Life Management. It has introduced a range of initiatives that should help it to develop a Through-Life Management approach but has more to do to embed this approach and realise the full range of benefits that Through-Life Management offers.”

Sector(s): National security

Published:
21 May 2003

The New Electricity Trading Arrangements in England and Wales

“Ofgem, together with the electricity industry, has achieved much through the NETA programme of reforms. But my report shows that there are a series of questions that the regulator will need to continue to keep under close scrutiny. How much of the savings in the wholesale market will be passed on to retail customers? How sure can we be that the lights will stay on? And can Ofgem monitor the market so as to prevent market abuse distorting prices?”

Sector(s): Business and enterprise, Devolved Administrations, Regulation, consumers and competition

Published:
9 May 2003

PPP in practice: National Savings and Investments’ deal with Siemens Business Services, four years on

“This report shows that there are alternatives to bailing out the private sector. NS&I and Siemens Business Services have learnt valuable lessons in the operation of this project, which are pertinent to other public-private sector partnerships. A whole business approach, where decisions are based on what is best for the business rather than what is best for either the public and private sectors, needs to be adopted if the public and private sectors are to achieve their objectives, and the private sector needs to recognize the management challenge that PFI represents.”

Sector(s): Business and enterprise, Education and skills, Private Finance

Published:
8 May 2003

Progress on 15 Major Capital Projects Funded by Arts Council England

“It is pleasing that most of the 15 projects are now delivering the intended benefits to the public. But it is disappointing that two have had to close and that on most the construction work did not go to plan, with delays and cost overruns which resulted in 10 projects needing additional lottery funding. It is important that, in taking forward its new capital programme, the Arts Council monitors the effectiveness of the measures it has introduced to reduce the likelihood of similar problems in the future. Where things do go wrong the Arts Council should be prepared to stop funding and at all times it must ensure that lottery funds are protected so that it is in a position to recover its money in the event of projects failing.”

Sector(s): Arts, media and sport

Published:
2 May 2003

Purchasing and Managing Software Licences

“Whatever a department does, whether it is processing benefit payments or protecting the public from crime, it uses computer software. Delivering good quality public services now depends on having the right IT. This report shows that many departments are being intelligent customers when it comes to software licensing. But it remains important that they have all the information that they need to make the right decisions.”

Sector(s): Education and skills, Government, efficiency and transparency

Published:
1 May 2003

International Education Comparisons: A Compendium of published information on educational provision and achievement in 10 countries

Sector(s): Education and skills

Published:
1 May 2003

A Safer Place to Work: Improving the management of health and safety risks to staff in NHS trusts

More needs to be done to reduce the number of staff accidents in NHS trusts. Good progress has been made through the initiatives such as the Back in Work campaign but too many trusts are still not implementing good practice and there are wide variations in terms of access to counselling and other support to get staff back to work more quickly. At a time when it is crucial to recruit and retain staff, the NHS must show that the health and safety of its staff is a top priority.”

Sector(s): Health and social care

Published:
30 Apr 2003

Getting the Evidence: Using Research in Policy Making

“I welcome the steps already made to modernise the way departments procure research. These are encouraging developments. The recommendations in this report should lead to further improvements.”

Sector(s): Government, efficiency and transparency

Published:
16 Apr 2003

Improving access to, and information about, the moving image through the British Film Institute

“I am pleased that the number of people engaging with film and moving image culture through the bfi’s activities has increased. The Film Council and the bfi now need to make sure they are heading in the same direction and do more to reach a wider range of people by gaining a better appreciation of what people actually want from the bfi. The development of a clear strategy for the National Film and Television Archive is a high priority, particularly to manage the risk that irreplaceable film might decay before today’s public and future generations have an opportunity to see it.”