Vulnerable consumers in regulated industries
Published on:Regulators and government need to work together better to ensure that vulnerable consumers get the support they need.
Regulators and government need to work together better to ensure that vulnerable consumers get the support they need.
This report reviews government’s progress in improving the planning and spending framework since we last reported in July 2016.
The NAO strategy 2015-16 to 2017-18 sets out how our public audit perspective will help Parliament hold government to account and improve public services.
As a publicly funded organisation we have a duty to be transparent in our business operations. This page sets out our transparency principles and provides all of our publicly disclosed corporate information.
A third of major government projects due to deliver in the next five years are rated as in doubt or unachievable unless action is taken to improve delivery. Greater transparency on project performance is required.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Business Appointment Rules, but has not published any guidelines, and has no oversight of departmental compliance.
A National Audit Office review of the regime for overseeing markets and enforcing competition law in the UK has found that it is generally effective and well regarded by comparison with international equivalents. However, the NAO has found that the competition system as a whole must still address a number of challenges to function as […]
This briefing for the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee provides an overview of the key features of the policy and regulatory framework for electricity generation, and the nature of the transition required over the next 10 years to meet emissions reduction and renewable energy targets.
There has been much public discussion about the affordability of public service pensions. To inform that debate, the National Audit Office has today published a report designed to bring greater transparency to, and understanding of, the cash costs involved. Today’s report found: Total payments to more than 2 million pensioners in the UK’s four largest […]
The National Audit Office has warned that the value for money of 43 major government projects worth around £200 billion is at risk because of significant weaknesses in the Government’s commercial skills and expertise. But there is an even greater risk to many other complex projects where skills shortages are not being assessed systematically. The […]
It is not possible to show that the Crown Commercial Service has achieved more than departments would otherwise have achieved by buying common goods and services themselves.
This report assesses how prepared government departments are for the changes required at the border after EU exit.
The National Audit Office has concluded that the public support provided to UK banks by the Treasury was justified, given the scale of the economic and social costs if one or more major banks had collapsed. In providing that support, moreover, the Treasury met two of the government’s principal objectives: protecting depositors’ money in banks and […]
The Pension Protection Fund, which protects private sector pensions, has delivered value for money in terms of investing efficiently and preparing adequately for the potential impact of future claims, a National Audit Office report says today. The Fund must take steps to ensure that it continues to deliver value for money in the future, particularly […]
Over half of all businesses believe there is too much regulation, according to a survey of businesses commissioned by the National Audit Office and the Local Better Regulation Office. Although most businesses believe that the purpose of regulation is clear, over 60 per cent of businesses think that the level of regulation is an obstacle to their success.
Our study evaluates how far the government has an effective system for measuring progress towards its environmental objectives.
We investigated the Ministry of Defence’s progress with submarine disposal and in implementing the projects needed to make this work.
On 15 January 2018, Carillion declared insolvency and the Official Receiver, an employee of the Insolvency Service, started to liquidate its assets and contracts. This report focuses on the role of the UK government in preparing for and managing the liquidation of Carillion.
The scale of the support currently provided to UK banks has fallen from a peak of £955 billion to £512 billion, but the amount of cash currently borrowed by the Government to support banks has risen by £7 billion since December 2009. It is likely the taxpayer will be providing support for years to come.
The NAO challenges government and its private sector contractors to work together more effectively in taxpayers’ interest and address the issues behind the current crisis of confidence in contracting out public services.