“The Commission’s decision to award the second licence to Camelot was soundly based. However there are constraints which may deter potential bidders and unless decisive steps are taken there may well be no competitive pressure next time. The Commission and the Department must do all they can to level the playing field and eliminate unnecessary demands on bidders.”
“I welcome the progress that the Ministry of Defence has made to date in improving its arrangements for the major repair and overhaul of its land equipment. As a priority the Department should address important unresolved issues for achieving its repair and overhaul requirements and the role and future of its in-house provider, the Army Base Repair Organisation.”
“A significant amount of taxpayers’ money is being spent in central and local government in introducing Internet-based services. I have found considerable progress since my previous report in 1999 but weaknesses in information across government on the usage of its web sites, performance indicators to measure progress and methodologies to assess the value added by e-government provision.”
“The NHS is continuing to improve financial control over its budget. I welcome this and the initiatives to measure and take action against fraud.
“The way forward is to continue with improvements to corporate and clinical governance and to ensure that accounting for these large sums presents fully and clearly the financial position of NHS organisations.”
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has published his report on the construction of Portcullis House, the new Parliamentary building. Portcullis House, which provides offices for 210 Members of Parliament and 400 staff together with committee rooms and other facilities, was completed in August 2000 at a cost of £234 million. The NAO … Read more
” MOD expects to secure significant benefits from this PFI deal which will help its accommodation arrangements in London. This was a large and complex project and my report sets out a number of important learning points relevant to other PFI deals under development.”
“The process of winding-up the affairs of The New Millennium Experience Company was extremely challenging, particularly given the complexity and scale of the operation. But I am pleased to say that the preparations required before the appointment of the liquidators were accomplished successfully and, on entering voluntary liquidation, NMEC was in better financial shape than when I last reported.”
“The elimination of poverty is one of the greatest challenges we face and the Department for International Development have a well-established and leading role in helping to meet this challenge. Performance management is a key factor for the Department in maximising the contribution they make and therefore it is vital that their objectives and targets are able to drive corporate and operational performance effectively.”
Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office told parliament today that a new radio system for the police, Airwave, could deliver considerable benefits. For instance, Airwave will give a clear digital voice service and offers the possibility of data transmissions and remote access to police computers. The service, procured under the PFI by … Read more
