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.
There is a shortfall of 5,170 (2.8 per cent) trained Armed Forces personnel against the Ministry of Defence’s estimated requirements. Only the Army is within “manning balance”, and there are wider shortages of personnel in specific trade groups. According to today’s report to Parliament, by head of the National Audit Office Sir John Bourn, there […]
The National Audit Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary have jointly produced a practical guide on procuring and managing partnerships with the private sector.
A guide for senior leaders and risk practitioners across government with ways to help overcome the challenges to managing risks.
This report examines the value for money of Network Rail’s sale of a major part of its commercial real estate portfolio.
Our report provides updates on the government’s evolving approach to national resilience and risk management.
Pooling the Royal Navy’s, Army’s and Royal Air Force’s battlefield helicopters has brought significant benefits, Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today. Efficiencies have been produced through a joined up approach, by standardising procedures and removing duplication, but there is a large shortfall in helicopter capability and further improvements […]
Since we first published our Framework to review programmes in 2017 there has been no let-up in NAO reports on major projects and programmes, most recently on Crossrail, the Emergency Services Network and the Stonehenge by-pass road. From the need to manage the risks of untried approaches to signs warning of unrealistic cost estimates, this […]
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, told Parliament today that the United Kingdom made a major and vital contribution to the successful NATO operation in Kosovo. And the Ministry of Defence’s financial management of their military operations in Kosovo represented a clear improvement over that achieved in Bosnia. Against the background of […]
Substantial savings, in addition to the significant improvements already achieved, could be made by more efficient management and purchasing of postal services by the public sector, according to a report by Parliament’s spending watchdog. The National Audit Office has found that an estimated £31 million a year could be saved across the public sector by […]
In his annual speech in Parliament, Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said government can provide people with better public services despite the challenging fiscal backdrop.
NHS patients receiving hip replacements have received an improved service over the last three years, according to a report today from the National Audit Office. But it will take time for developments to take full effect and more remains to be done to ensure improved quality of care to patients. This includes making sure that […]
Crisis Resolution Home Treatment teams are having a positive impact on local acute mental health services, providing an alternative to hospital admission for people experiencing a short-term mental health crisis. But a report out today by the National Audit Office found that services are being limited by a lack of input from specialist health and […]
Residential care costs for looked-after children have almost doubled in five years driven by rising demand and limited placements.
The Building Public Trust Awards recognise outstanding corporate reporting that builds trust and transparency. This interactive document illustrates a range of good practice examples across annual reports in both the public and private sector.
More recent version available We published an updated version of this framework in April 2021 Background Major programmes are expensive, high profile and carry great uncertainties and risks. It is not surprising that many fall short of their objectives, in terms of cost and/or outcomes. The NAO has completed about 140 reports on major projects […]
This guide is for senior finance leaders in government departments and other public bodies. It sets out insights and good practice on how to allocate resources for better financial management in government. It is the third in a five-part series of guides, which follow the financial management lifecycle. For public services to be efficient and […]
Government departments are making plans for achieving substantial efficiency savings by 2024-25, but what might this mean in practice?
The first in a series of blogs looking at the Commercial Lifecycle covers data.
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