HMRC aimed to move more customers online thereby reducing staff costs but significant numbers of staff were let go before technical improvements were completed leading to a collapse in service quality in 2015. Services have since improved.
“The partnership entered into by the Agency demonstrates that public sector bodies can produce innovative solutions to traditional problems. The project demonstrates that, properly managed, risk taking and innovation can lead to improved value for money for taxpayers.”
“Much tax is collected quickly but at any one time there are billions of pounds outstanding, some of it long overdue. Faster recovery and preventing the build up of debt could bring in money which could be used to improve public services. My report identifies further opportunities for the Inland Revenue to improve how they collect debts.”
“Both the Ministry of Defence and the Welsh Authorities have invested a considerable amount of time, effort and money in creating modern aviation repair facilities in South Wales, with a super-hangar which is now sitting almost empty. As it happens, under the Defence Training Review there should be a future for the super-hangar at St Athan, but the Red Dragon project underlines that public bodies need to have considered all implications of their respective strategies before commencing joint projects.”
Jeremy Colman, Auditor General for Wales, added:
“The Ministry of Defence and the Welsh Authorities failed to collaborate sufficiently throughout the project. Although for much of the time both had complementary objectives, they did not establish a common purpose for the project or a common understanding of their respective assumptions about the future of the site. The Red Dragon project highlights the danger in large and complex projects that involve multiple public bodies of insufficient openness and information sharing.”
“The Prison Service has obtained a share of refinancing benefits which recognises its exposure to increased termination liabilities. This review has identified important lessons for other departments who are likely to have to deal with the refinancing of PFI projects in the future.”
“I have decided to produce a report for Parliament as the issues raised by this case have wider interest in considering how the pricing of PFI deals may change over time. In this case, the Trust continues to pay a premium on its financing costs for being an early entrant into the PFI market whilst benefiting from the early use of the new hospital and lower construction costs. But other factors may affect price comparisons over time and further analysis of price movements would be valuable.”
“The Greenwich Peninsula is an ambitious regeneration, highlighted by the landmark O2 venue. The pace of house building is already two years behind schedule, though better progress has been made on community and commercial space. English Partnerships needs to safeguard returns to the taxpayer, both by addressing the effects of delay, and by delivering the return which is due from the success of the O2.”
The £1.4 billion funding could result in 41,000 extra full-time equivalent private sector jobs but thousands more could have been created from the same resources.
The Charity Commission is not regulating charities effectively. It fails to take tough action in some serious cases and makes poor use of its powers.
“The Department of Trade and Industry intervened when British Energy could no longer meet its debts. As a result the taxpayer is responsible for underwriting a large and uncertain liability. The scale of the net liability to be borne by the public purse will depend crucially on British Energy’s performance in future years. It is therefore vital that the Department keeps close scrutiny to ensure the taxpayer’s position is safeguarded”
