The Department for Communities and Local Government (now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) introduced the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in 2013 to boost the supply of new homes and support home ownership. The Ministry expects the scheme to support the sale of up to 360,000 homes by 2021, at an … Read more
In 2014, a BBC Panorama documentary drew attention to fraud in the UK student visa system, including widespread cheating in English Language tests. The Home Office revoked student visas where there was evidence of cheating, but its decisions have come under renewed public and parliamentary scrutiny in the wake of the Windrush scandal. The NAO … Read more
The UK spent £14.1 billion on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2017. This was the fifth consecutive year that the UK has met the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) target to spend 0.7% of gross national income on ODA. Over this period a decreasing proportion of ODA has been spent by the Department … Read more
Failures in food safety can have catastrophic consequences for human life, public confidence and the wider economy. People can fall ill if they eat food contaminated by bacteria as a result of poor food hygiene, or if they eat food that is not what it says it is. This report focuses on the effectiveness of … Read more
Serious and organised crime includes drug trafficking, human trafficking, organised illegal immigration, high value fraud and other financial crimes, organised acquisitive crime and cyber crime. Serious and organised crime costs the United Kingdom at least £37 billion each year, leads to loss of life and can deprive people of their security and prosperity. The Home … Read more
This study is part of the National Audit Office’s programme of work on services for children, and will focus on whether the Department for Education supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities effectively. The study will cover all school-aged children needing support for special educational needs and disabilities, both those with an education, health … Read more
The support that government extends to businesses and industries is substantial and complex, including loans, grants, tax reliefs, training and business advice. Delivering this support is spread across central government departments and local bodies. The European Union provides support to UK businesses of around £3 billion a year. The study will review a sample of … Read more
In 2016, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) launched an ambitious reform programme to modernise and upgrade the justice system by introducing new technology and working practices across the courts and tribunals system. HMCTS is approximately half way through the reforms and is approaching a critical phase to scale up the delivery of new … Read more
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in the economy but sometimes have problems accessing finance. British Business Bank, which launched in 2014, supports SMEs in accessing finance to start and grow their businesses. The study will test whether the British Business Bank is optimally delivering access to finance for small and medium-sized … Read more
The Department of Health & Social Care (the Department) and the NHS have published plans to use digital technology to help transform the way the NHS works. This study will consider whether the Department and the NHS have developed a workable strategy to deliver their ambitions on digital technology and data; whether they understand the … Read more
The capacity of the prison estate is under strain and much of it is in poor condition. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons documented some of the most disturbing conditions the Inspectorate had ever seen in 2017-18. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has committed to improving the prison estate, including providing up to 10,000 new … Read more
Local authorities are subject to financial pressures from reductions in government funding and increased demand for services. One way that local authorities are responding is by making commercial investments to provide income (sometimes alongside other objectives). While local authorities have a long history of owning commercial assets, the last three years have seen a step-change … Read more
