“Customs and Excise deserve credit for deploying resources intelligently so that returns are increased. Their well-focused approach has yielded clear benefits but even more revenue could be brought in by directing greater effort at the highest risk traders”.
Delays in issuing passports earlier this year led to much anxiety and inconvenience for members of the public hoping to travel. By June, the Passport Agency had around 565,000 applications awaiting processing. Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the delays at the Agency during Summer 1999. Several … Read more
“This report is not about the faults of the past but the opportunities for the future. Its purpose is to stimulate and encourage good procurement practice. There are bound to be risks associated with changing established practices but I am convinced that these risks can be managed and minimised, fear of such risks should not be allowed to stifle innovation”.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, provided Parliament today with a ground breaking report explaining the National Audit Office’s approach to examining the value for money of deals under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Having already published eight reports on major privately financed projects Sir John said the time was now right … Read more
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today that NHS Acute Trusts in England held medical equipment with an estimated replacement value of some £3 billion. In 1996-97 they spent some £220 million on acquiring medical equipment annually and a further £120 million on maintenance. Figures for 1997-98 are similar. Medical … Read more
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament today on the way in which the Arts Council of England manage the risks during the construction phase of major capital projects funded by the National Lottery. He found that the Arts Council have, from the outset, adopted a pro-active approach to monitoring … Read more
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the introduction of competition into the domestic gas market has benefited customers through lower prices, greater choice and better service. Some 20 million domestic customers currently spend around £6 billion a year on gas and so far over 4 million have switched … Read more
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, today reported to Parliament on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s administration of the Arable Area Payments Scheme*. This is the largest European Union Common Agricultural Policy scheme in England with payments of £1.1 billion each year to some 47,000 farmers. The report examines the … Read more
