Amyas Morse, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), has qualified his opinion on the 2015-16 accounts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
This briefing responds to a request from the Environmental Audit Committee that we review how the 2015 spending review took account of environmental issues.
This memorandum has been prepared to support the Environmental Audit Committee to consider the decision taken by Defra in 2010, to withdraw the provisional allocation of PFI credits from seven (out of 18) PFI projects.
The government has missed opportunities to exploit the full potential of the Levy Control Framework and this has contributed to decisions which have not secured value for money.
This Departmental Overview looks at Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and summarises its performance during the year ended March 2016, together with our recent reports on it.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has not achieved value for money for its £100 million spend on the second competition for government financial support for carbon capture storage.
This report examines the evidence base supporting the decision to proceed with the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a tunnel running 25 kilometres from Acton to Abbey Mills, as well as progress achieved to date.
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) are local independent public bodies responsible for managing water levels in low-lying areas where there is a special drainage need and contributing to flood risk management. IDBs cover nearly 10% of England’s land area and spent more than £61m last year. The report focuses on governance and oversight arrangements; processes for raising concerns; and, the potential for conflicts of interest.
The Department has committed electricity consumers and taxpayers to a high cost and risky deal in a changing energy marketplace. We cannot say the Department has maximised the chances that it will achieve value for money.
The NAO is publishing a suite of short guides for the new Parliament, one for each government department and a selection of cross-government issues, to assist House of Commons select committees and members of Parliament.
