Shared service centres
Government’s programme to transfer back-office functions to two shared service centres has made savings but has not achieved value for money to date.
Source · Recommendations & oversight
National Audit Office
NAO value-for-money reports examining the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of government spending. Recommendations are tracked against government responses and, where a PAC hearing followed, linked to the committee's own recommendations and Treasury Minute responses.
2,824 reports
2,175 recommendations
1,827 confirmed by NAO
61% implementation rate
Reports
Government Commercial and Contracting: an overview of the NAO’s work
This overview of the NAO’s work on the government’s management of contracting examines subjects including the government’s commercial capability, accountability and transparency, and its management of contracted-out service delivery.
Ensuring employers comply with National Minimum Wage regulations
It is important that the Government ensures its compliance programme reflects the changing risks within the labour market, and maintains its progress in ensuring all employers pay the minimum wage.
Management of the BBC’s critical projects
BBC has improved the way it manages its business critical projects. Most are on course to deliver and achieve their intended benefits but needs to do more to manage its critical projects as a coherent …
Transforming Rehabilitation
Probation services have been restructured on time and within cost targets during a period of major change but operational problems and risks to further service transformation need to be resolved if re-offending levels are to …
The commissioning of specialised services in the NHS
Against a backdrop of increasing pressure on NHS finances, NHS England has not controlled the rising cost of specialised services.
Managing the welfare cap
The welfare cap is encouraging a greater understanding of spending on some benefits and tax credits across government, but it is important that processes for managing the cap are reliable.
The commissioning of specialised services in the NHS
Explore the results of our surveys of NHS acute hospitals and clinical commissioning groups, showing their views on NHS England’s commissioning of specialised services.
Mental health services: preparations for improving access
The Department of Health and NHS England are making progress but much remains to be done to improve access to mental health services.
English devolution deals
Devolution deals to devolve power from central government to local areas in England offer opportunities to stimulate economic growth and reform public services for local users, but the arrangements are untested and government could do …
Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report on the Department for Education’s financial statements 2014-15
Amyas Morse, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), has provided an adverse opinion on the truth and fairness of the Department for Education’s group financial statements.
Investigation into the Department of Energy & Climate Change’s loans to the Green Deal Finance Company
The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Green Deal design not only failed to deliver any meaningful benefit, it increased suppliers’ costs – and therefore energy bills – in meeting their obligations through the ECO …
Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation
The Department of Energy and Climate Change’s Green Deal design not only failed to deliver any meaningful benefit, it increased suppliers’ costs – and therefore energy bills – in meeting their obligations through the ECO …
The impact of state pension reforms on people with Guaranteed Minimum Pensions
The Department for Work and Pension has limited information about who will be affected by the impact of state pension reforms in April 2016 on people with Guaranteed Minimum Pensions. The impact will depend on …
Local Enterprise Partnerships
The role and remit of Local Enterprise Partnerships has grown since 2010, but the approach taken by DCLG to overseeing Growth Deals risks future value for money.
Confiscation orders: progress review
There has been a greater focus on enforcing criminal confiscation orders, but there remain fundamental weaknesses in the system.
BIS’s capital investment in science projects
The Department for Business, Skills and Innovation has not used good quality information to decide which science capital projects to invest in to optimise scientific and economic benefits.
Government’s spending with small and medium-sized enterprises
If the government is serious about increasing its use of small and medium – sized enterprises (SMEs), it will need to focus on those areas where SMEs can deliver real benefits.
Building Public Trust Awards – Examples of good practice in annual reports 2015
The Building Public Trust Awards recognise outstanding corporate reporting that builds trust and transparency. This interactive document illustrates a range of good practice examples in public sector reports.
Personalised commissioning in adult social care
The Department of Health now needs to gain a better understanding of the different ways to commission personalised services for users, and how these lead to improvements in user outcomes.
Entitlement to free early education and childcare
Significant progress has been made in providing 15 hours of free childcare to parents of 3- and 4-year olds, but the Department of Education has not yet achieved full value for money
Efficiency in the criminal justice system
Despite some improvements in the management of court cases, around two-thirds of criminal trials do not proceed as planned on the day they are originally scheduled. Delays and aborted hearings create extra work, waste scarce …
Financial services mis-selling: regulation and redress
The Financial Conduct Authority cannot know whether its activities are reducing the overall scale of financial services mis-selling to consumers. The most prominent example of mis-selling is Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Between April 2011 and …
Fraud landscape review
The exact scale of fraud within government is unknown. The quality and completeness of fraud data is often variable.
Investigation into members’ experience of civil service pension administration
The NAO has published the findings from its investigation into members’ experience of civil service pension administration.
Response and delivery evidence
| Status | Recommendations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Implemented | 1,320 | 61% |
| Accepted | 1,718 | 79% |
| Partially accepted | 200 | 9% |
| Work in progress | 503 | 23% |
| Rejected | 41 | 2% |
| Confirmed by NAO follow-up | 1,827 | 84% |
| Methodology: status determined from departmental responses, Treasury Minute responses, PAC follow-up hearings, and NAO own progress tracking. | ||
Departments named in NAO reports
Department of Health and Social Care (126 reports)
HM Treasury (95 reports)
Cabinet Office (88 reports)
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (81 reports)
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (76 reports)
HM Revenue and Customs (74 reports)
Department for Work and Pensions (66 reports)
Ministry of Defence (63 reports)
Department for Education (63 reports)
Department for Transport (62 reports)
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (56 reports)
Devolved administrations (56 reports)
Home Office (53 reports)
Ministry of Justice (39 reports)
Department for Culture, Media & Sport (30 reports)