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Ministry of Defence: Combat Identification

“Causing casualties among our own or allied troops by “friendly fire” is an inevitable but profoundly regrettable risk of war. Combat Identification is a way of distinguishing friend from foe and every improvement in Combat Identification lowers the risks.

“The MoD now has a policy on Combat Identification and a strategy for taking the policy forward. In conjunction with NATO, it has more work to do to see its strategy implemented in full and my report makes recommendations to assist this process.”

Sector(s): National security

Published:
7 Mar 2002

The New Deal for Young People

“The New Deal for Young People has been successful in placing 339,000 unemployed young people into jobs, and the programme has also had a beneficial effect on the economy.

“The programme must continue to evolve to meet the needs of the increasing proportion of clients with severe or multiple barriers to employment and the changing economic climate. It is therefore vital that the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus continue to monitor and evaluate the programme’s effectiveness. In particular, they must evaluate the changes introduced to the programme to ensure that it continues to help these vulnerable young people and provide good value for taxpayers’ money.”

Sector(s): Children and families, Welfare, Pensions and Employment

Published:
28 Feb 2002

The Operation and wind up of Teesside Development Corporation

Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has published his report on the operation and wind up of Teesside Development Corporation. The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report is in response to concerns raised with him by three Members of Parliament for the North East of England and a former contractor of the Corporation. … Read more

Sector(s): Local services

Published:
27 Feb 2002

The English Sports Council Accounts 2000-2001: Costs of Departure of Derek Casey, former Chief Exec of Sport England

Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, today reported to Parliament on the costs of the departure of Mr Derek Casey, the former Chief Executive of Sport England. In drawing Parliament’s attention to this matter Sir John has not qualified his audit opinion on either the Sport England grant-in-aid or lottery fund accounts … Read more

Sector(s): Arts, media and sport

Published:
23 Feb 2002

General lessons from a case of agricultural fraud

This article is taken from pages 14-15 of the NAO report Agricultural fraud: The case of Joseph Bowden – published February 2002 – and summarises the recommendations from this report.

Sector(s): Energy and environment, Food and farming

Published:
22 Feb 2002

Agricultural Fraud: The case of Joseph Bowden

“The Report highlights what can happen when checks on claims for agricultural subsidies are not sufficiently rigorous. In this case the authorities successfully prosecuted a fraudster but his illegal activities would have come to light earlier had the Ministry’s checks been more thorough. Large sums of public money are at risk under Common Agricultural Policy Schemes, and although systems have been put in place to prevent a repetition of the fraud, the Department and the Rural Payments Agency will have to maintain a careful watch.”

Sector(s): Energy and environment, Food and farming

Published:
22 Feb 2002

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Appropriation Accounts 2000-2001

“I am pleased that the DVLA has been able to implement these substantial changes to the vehicle excise duty regime with minimum disruption to the motoring public. I commend the agency’s staff for their efforts in processing well over one million applications for rebates of duty from hauliers and private motorists in just a few months, without jeopardising the achievement of the agency’s other key strategic targets.”

Sector(s): Infrastructure, Transport

Published:
20 Feb 2002

HM Customs and Excise: The Misuse and Smuggling of Hydrocarbon Oils

“The estimated revenue losses from the misuse and smuggling of hydrocarbon oils duty reveal that growing sums of revenue are being lost through smuggling and the illegal use of rebated fuel. Customs have recognised this problem by producing a strategy to deal with the frauds and are developing that strategy further.

“Every effort must be made to combat this criminal activity which not only results in large amounts of lost duty but also poses threats to health and safety.”

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

Published:
15 Feb 2002

e-Revenue

“Being at the forefront of the public sector’s drive to develop electronic services carries increased risks which need to be managed. Teething problems are to be expected, and need to be learned from quickly. The Inland Revenue has adopted a number of good practices from the private sector, including build and learn. An important message is that services must be demonstrably useful to the public if they are to use them on any scale, but it can take time to redesign existing processes particularly in an organisation as large and complex as the Inland Revenue.

“Many of the lessons learned by the Inland Revenue, and the good practices adopted, are equally applicable to other public bodies developing electronic services, and it is important to share these good practices as they develop.”

Sector(s): Tax

Published:
14 Feb 2002

HM Customs & Excise Appropriation Accounts 2000-2001

” I welcome and support the steps that Customs have taken to estimate the amount of revenue being lost through fraud, and to develop and implement counter-fraud strategies. Fraud is a major problem both for Government and for citizens, and I will be reporting on how a number of Departments are responding to the challenge. “