“I remain seriously concerned at the worsening deficits being incurred within the NHS in Wales. The NHS Directorate of the National Assembly for Wales must urgently address this by ensuring that robust recovery plans are in place”.
“It is extraordinary how a simple error can have such severe consequences for individuals and for the taxpayer. And it is particularly alarming that the error could go unnoticed for so long. These were serious lapses in the standards of public administration and must not be repeated.”
“I am pleased that the Ministry has in large measure addressed the problems of flock records and urge them to continue working with farmers to get it right. This will help to protect the taxpayer from the risk of losing reimbursement from European funds. It will also assist farmers in satisfying scheme rules so that they can get the benefit of a scheme which is providing valuable support at a time of crisis in the industry.”
“This is my first general report in this developing area, and has been written to contribute to the advancement of performance measurement and reporting in central government. The report includes a high level checklist on the quality and presentation of data in agency annual reports. I encourage Chief Executives to use the checklist for assessing how well they are monitoring and reporting their agencies’ performance.”
Scottish Enterprise’s Skillseekers programme had made considerable progress in delivering Vocational Qualifications for young people at reducing unit cost. There are, however, a number of ways that Scottish Enterprise and Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) can build on their successes, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to the Scottish Parliament today. Skillseekers … Read more
Section 161 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires me to examine and certify the National Insurance Fund Account and this report records the results of my examination of the 1998-99 account.
“This winter has reminded us again of how crucial it is that hospitals manage their bed stock effectively. We have found significant variations in performance between hospitals in admitting and discharging patients, and managing beds. Failing to place patients promptly in the most appropriate facilities, cancelling their admission, or delaying their discharge from hospital can cause enormous frustration and distress. More hospitals should follow the good practices we have highlighted to help improve the overall quality of service to patients.”
“The Lord Chancellor’s Department has clearly made significant progress towards improving the checking of criminal legal aid applications though more remains to be done.I am disappointed, however, to have to report that financial control weaknesses in the Lord Chancellor’s Department and the incorrect accounting treatment by the Serious Fraud Office meant that both departments have exceeded the funds granted by Parliament and had to ask for further parliamentary authority to approve their expenditure.”
“The Revenue Departments collected over £220 billion tax in 1998-99. With such large sums at stake, it is important that the tax system operates effectively. I am therefore pleased to advise Parliament that my examination confirmed that the Department’s systems continued to provide an effective check on the assessment and collection of revenue”.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office, today presented to Parliament his reports on the purchase, refurbishment and fitting out of buildings for the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service. These Reports were produced in 1992 and 1995 as classified reports to Parliament and in accordance with the then arrangements for … Read more
