Grant schemes impact assessment
Implementation of early grant schemes without predicted impact assessments or adherence to standard business case requirements.
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
NAO recommendation
90match
COVID-19 business grant schemes
HMT should, by September 2023, commission work to consider the impact of, and benefit secured from, the range of support to business provided through the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the development of future initiatives.
Matched on
terms: grant, impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
87match
#25 - Publish thorough impact assessment before mandating skilled labour in clean energy retrofit procurement
The Government should carry out and publish a thorough impact assessment before deciding to use conditionality as a policy lever in procurement to mandate skilled labour requirements in contracts for clean energy retrofit works in public sector buildings. (Recommendation, Paragraph 97)
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
Committee recommendation
83match
#1 - Undertake impact assessment of Planning and Infrastructure Bill on Nature Restoration Fund and nature markets.
The Government should undertake an impact assessment of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to assess how the Nature Restoration Fund would interact with and impact upon the operation of Biodiversity net gain and of broader Government initiatives to encourage investment into nature markets. The Committee expects this impact assessment to be published prior to the first day of...
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
Committee recommendation
83match
#11 - Publish annual impact assessments for ODA cuts, detailing rationale and alignment with aid objectives.
We recommend that the Government commits to publishing an impact assessment for every year in which cuts to ODA are implemented, including the 2026/27 financial year, and providing rationale for how these decisions align with the impact that UK aid aims to achieve. (Recommendation, Paragraph 39)
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
Committee recommendation
83match
#22 - Revise Nature Restoration Fund impact assessment to include diverse environmental issues and local authority roles.
The Government should revise the impact assessment for the NRF, to take account of a variety of environmental issues, not only nutrient neutrality. It should consider the impact, role and budget of local authorities during the revision process. Only once a fully comprehensive impact assessment of the environmental aspect of the NRF has been completed can informed decisions...
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
Committee recommendation
83match
#21 - Unidimensional impact assessment for Nature Restoration Fund is unsatisfactory for broader environmental issues.
We accept that the initial impact assessment of the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) was carried out on the basis of nutrient neutrality, due to limitations with broader data availability. However, as the NRF will have considerable implications for a wide range of environmental issues aside from nutrient pollution, a unidimensional impact assessment is not satisfactory. We welcome the...
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
Committee recommendation
83match
#27 - Publish evaluation of funding schemes impacting skills supply in retrofit sector
The Government should commit immediately to at least maintaining its support for measures aimed at increasing demand for retrofit during this Parliament. It should also commit to carrying out and publishing an evaluation of the impact of its funding schemes directly addressing the supply of skills before the end of the Spending Review period. (Recommendation, Paragraph 99) 51
Matched on
terms: impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
81match
#53 - 1st Report - Long-duration energy storage: get on with it
Ofgem and the Future System Operator should identify ways of incentivising businesses and households to provide flexible heating that can support the grid. Thermal storage and an assessment of flexibility should be included in existing policy mechanisms, such as Energy Performance Certificates, the Energy Saving Materials technology list for VAT relief, grants such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme,...
Matched on
terms: assessment, grant, scheme
NAO recommendation
78match
Government's general grant schemes
To achieve greater, proportionate monitoring and evaluation of grant schemes, the Grants Management Function should: (g) continue to work with the Evaluation Task Force to encourage departments to develop proportionate and robust evaluation plans during the grant design phase, including more frequent tracking of the benefits and efficiencies generated by individual schemes.
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
Committee recommendation
78match
#22 - Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
Seasonal workers in the tourism industry are falling between the cracks in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We recommend that DCMS works with the tourism sector and HM Treasury to review the measures in place to support tourism businesses and seasonal workers to ensure they fully meet the needs of the sector. We repeat the recommendation first made...
Matched on
terms: impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
78match
#23 - Prepare comprehensive regulatory assessment for the Nature Restoration Fund before PIB Part 3 enactment.
Given the weak impact assessment of the NRF, we ask the Government to prepare a regulatory assessment of the NRF, if and when it is adopted. This assessment should be completed before Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) is brought into force and should set out details of how it is to be implemented, such...
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
NAO recommendation
77match
Delivery of employment support schemes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
h) [HM Treasury should] when designing similar grant schemes in the future, devise measurable financial impact tests for consideration by ministers. Where data are not available to validate eligibility we would normally expect a self-assessment of expected income to be preferable to having no test as it could significantly reduce payments to those not in need, and provide...
Matched on
terms: assessment, grant, impact, scheme
NAO recommendation
72match
Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme – progress review
The Department has not undertaken a detailed assessment of the impact of the scheme on the wider housing market. It should expand the scope of its next evaluation to examine such wider effects, including a potential influence on the new-build premium, and identify lessons learned for any future interventions.
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact, scheme
NAO recommendation
72match
Business support schemes
d) sets out plans for evaluation, including how it will ensure such assessment is supported by robust evidence of the impact against the criteria in its updated evaluation framework.
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
69match
#31 - 2nd Report - Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and...
We ask the Government to provide evidence of the economic impact of the merged scheme and the R&D intensive scheme and, in particular of the additional monies they have injected into the UK’s R& D systems.
Matched on
terms: impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
69match
#29 - 2nd Report - Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and...
We are concerned that the introduction of the merged scheme will impact investment in R&D by SMEs, and subsequently impact UK productivity and growth. We note the concerns raised by witnesses that the reduction in the rate of the relief may deter SMEs from submitting future claims. If it is the Government’s intention to reduce the number of...
Matched on
terms: impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
69match
#9 - 3rd Report: Building more social housing
The cross-subsidy model has reached its limit. Without grant funding from central Government, providers will be vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19. Housing associations have commendably made up for reduced Government grant investment in the last decade by developing homes for sale and investing these proceeds, but the subsidy gap remains high for social rent. The Government...
Matched on
terms: grant, impact
Committee recommendation
66match
#11 - Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
The Covid-19 crisis presents the biggest threat to the UK’s cultural infrastructure, institutions and workforce in a generation. The loss of performing arts institutions, and the vital work they do in communities by spreading the health and education benefits of cultural engagement, would undermine the aims of the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and Arts Council England’s next 10-year...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
66match
#11 - Eighth Report: Economic impact of coronavirus: the challenges of recovery
It remains unclear how the Government expects businesses to pay back loans in the future. The crisis and the lockdown of the economy meant that businesses have largely forgone revenue which many are unlikely to make up in the future and revenue is also likely to be suppressed in some sectors for some time.
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
65match
#43 - 1st Report - Methane: keep up the momentum
The Government should consider how to ensure that the end of these incentives is not coupled with a rise in emissions. With the end date of this scheme having been set since its inception, there should be every reason to provide clarity and certainty to industry about what may follow. The Government should urgently assess the impact of...
Matched on
terms: impact, scheme
Committee recommendation
65match
#18 - 3rd Report - Protecting built heritage
The government’s decision to replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme with the Places of Worship Renewal Fund represents a significant shift. While we recognise the rationale for directing limited public funds towards areas of greatest socio-economic need, we remain concerned that reliance on area-based indicators risks disadvantaging places of worship of high historic and architectural significance...
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
Committee recommendation
65match
#20 - Require energy access projects to assess trade-offs and risks in funding bids
The Government should require all energy access projects to include a clear assessment of trade-offs in funding bids, alongside a plan for monitoring impacts and communicating risks to stakeholders. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
Matched on
terms: assessment, impact
LGO / SPSO decision
63match
22-000-812 - St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of a grant funding scheme. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is there is not enough evidence of fault in the way the Council assessed the grant applications, and the...
Matched on
terms: assessment, grant, scheme
Committee recommendation
62match
#16 - Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
Lessons must be learnt from Arts Council England’s emergency funding when it comes to distributing the additional Government support. Support cannot be limited to organisations with a track record of public funding. Although recipients must be able to demonstrate they will use public monies appropriately, such a restrictive criterion risks excluding vital parts of the cultural ecology, including...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
62match
#13 - Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
We welcome the Government’s commitment to provide £1.57 billion in funding for our cultural and heritage sectors; however, whether it is enough to safeguard the cultural sector will ultimately depend on how long institutions remain closed or subject to social distancing, and we are concerned that freelancers and small companies will continue to fall through the gaps of...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
62match
#1 - Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
The many and varied sectors under the remit of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are integral to the UK’s national life and identity, as well as being vital drivers of economic growth and employment. Yet many parts of these sectors face an existential threat due to Covid-19 and the continued uncertainty that accompanies it. (Paragraph...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
62match
#16 - Department's further education teacher recruitment initiatives remain new and unevaluated for long-term impact.
The Department acknowledged that it was concerned about the position in colleges, where the vacancy rate was significantly higher than in schools, but it described having a “strong” focus on recruitment into further education.38 It explained that it had introduced various initiatives such as recently investing £400 million in the sector;39 extending targeted retention incentives to colleges from...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
61match
#30 - 2nd Report - Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and...
We recommend that the Government commits now to evaluating the effectiveness of the merged scheme in incentivising investment in R&D by large and small businesses in three years ’ time.
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
57match
#33 - Second Report - Environmental change and food security
The initial reaction from the latest iteration of the Sustainable Farming Incentive appears to show that the Government has listened to farmers’ concerns and made the offer more attractive. However, to enable more effective scrutiny of whether that is the case, the Government should publish regular data on the uptake of all three Environmental Land Management schemes, with...
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
57match
#11 - 2nd Report - Research and development tax relief, HMRC data requirements, promoters of tax avoidance and...
We recommend that the Government monitors the operation of the R&D intensive scheme and, in particular, keeps the threshold for R&D intensity under review to ensure that the scheme is appropriately targeted and effective in achieving its policy objectives.
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
57match
#9 - 2nd Report - AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action
The Government should set out the steps it is taking to evaluate the impact and join-up of existing initiatives, including those administered by the British Business Bank, to ensure they offer a clear route for companies to progress through, address genuine gaps in the private markets and represent a sound use of government funds.
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
57match
#66 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
The Government should report annually on funds invested by the Sterling 20 group, as well as the destinations of those investments, and the impact of the initiative in equalising investment across the UK. (Recommendation, Paragraph 202)
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
57match
#34 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
We recommend HM Treasury conclude its consultation on the Bank Referral Scheme forthwith and that significant improvements are made to it by the time of the next Budget. The Scheme should be fully integrated with other business finance support schemes, to ensure that businesses are supported right from the start of their growth journey and not only after...
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
57match
#33 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
The Bank Referral Scheme is a good idea but it is being poorly implemented. Fundamental improvements are required to ensure that the scheme operates at the scale required and is fully used. (Conclusion, Paragraph 125)
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
57match
#29 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
We recommend that the Government commission and publish a dynamic costing of the options for restoring some form of dividend tax relief for pension funds investing in UK equities—including a targeted, partial restoration applying to DC default funds—alongside an analysis of the likely impact on domestic equity allocation and the consequent effect on tax revenues. This analysis should...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
57match
#28 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
We recommend that HM Treasury review all its targeted fiscal instruments for stimulating pension fund investment in productive UK assets to evaluate that they are working as intended and assess the scope for further instruments to be deployed. For example, if a restored form of dividend credit for pension schemes holding UK equities could provide a cost- effective...
Matched on
terms: scheme
LGO / SPSO decision
55match
21-008-400 - North Northamptonshire Council
Summary: There was no fault in how the Council considered the complainant’s application for a discretionary COVID-19 business restart grant. The Council was at fault because it did not explore the complainant’s requests for reasonable adjustments, but this did not cause him an injustice. It is not the Council’s fault that the various COVID-19 support schemes can be...
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
Committee recommendation
53match
#166 - 1st Report - High Streets: Life beyond retail?
This process also carries a risk that Government funding may be directed towards projects which may not have the greatest impact on high street and town centre renewal. Councillor Slade stated: “if you do not bid, you are not looked at as being ambitious” and that “your MPs quite rightly get cross because they think you should be...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
53match
#27 - 1st Report - Methane: keep up the momentum
Methane from slurry represents approximately 15 per cent of UK agricultural methane emissions. Aggregated slurry from individual farms amount to substantial methane emissions as well as increased risks of water pollution. However anaerobic digestors are currently only used by a small percentage of farms. We heard that existing grants in England are not working well to support uptake,...
Matched on
terms: grant
Committee recommendation
53match
#18 - Twelfth Report: Management of tax reliefs
Some tax reliefs incentivise behaviour, while others represent a choice by government to reduce the tax burden on particular groups or sectors. In 2019, HMRC completed an assessment of reliefs with economic and social objectives, resulting in them being grouped into three broad categories reflecting the broad type of outcome they were designed to achieve. Around 40% are...
Matched on
terms: assessment
Committee recommendation
53match
#11 - Department has not fully evaluated all teacher recruitment and retention initiatives
In 2016, the previous Public Accounts Committee recommended that the Department should undertake a full evaluation of all its recruitment and retention initiatives to understand what works, including 18 Q 62; C&AG’s Report, para 2.38 19 Qq 22, 62 20 C&AG’s Report, para 2.2 21 Q 14; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.8-2.9, 2.11-2.12, 2.38, Figure 16 22 C&AG’s Report,...
Matched on
terms: scheme
Committee recommendation
52match
#63 - 1st Report - Investing in the UK economy
The Government should advance the British Business Bank’s British Growth Partnership to create a UK scheme that match both the design and scale of the French Tibi system. (Recommendation, Paragraph 197)
Matched on
terms: scheme
LGO / SPSO decision
52match
21-011-416 - South Oxfordshire District Council
Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s decision to seek repayment of COVID-19 business grants and that this will cause him financial difficulties. The Council wrongly awarded the grants which was fault. There is no evidence of fault in the Council’s actions to recover the grants after it realised it had paid them in error.
Matched on
terms: grant
LGO / SPSO decision
51match
25-015-696 - South Ribble Borough Council
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about how the Council awarded a grant from public funds as this impacts all or most of the people in the Council’s area and as such, is outside our remit.
Matched on
terms: grant, impact
LGO / SPSO decision
51match
21-010-849 - Wyre Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to properly advise him about a COVID-19 business grant scheme. This is because there is no evidence of fault by the Council and its actions did not cause Mr X significant injustice.
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
LGO / SPSO decision
51match
21-010-238 - City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Summary: We have discontinued our investigation about the Council’s decision to refuse the complainant’s business rates relief under the expanded retail discount scheme, and a grant under the retail, hospitality and leisure scheme, because his complaint is late. There was no fault in the Council’s decision the business is not eligible for partial rates relief.
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
LGO / SPSO decision
51match
21-007-328 - Transport for London
Summary: Company X has made a complaint in relation to Transport for London’s decision to not pay a grant under the Mayor of London’s Scrappage Scheme. Company X says TfL has refused to make a grant payment due to it not satisfying the evidence requirements in time and in accordance with the Scheme’s terms and conditions. We found...
Matched on
terms: grant, scheme
Committee recommendation
48match
#9 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
We support the principles behind the government and UKRI’s efforts to reform research funding, streamlining and coordinating work across its councils, and deploying it to drive economic growth. However, this should be carefully managed to take into account the impact on the UK’s international commitments and reputation. The welcome emphasis on achieving economic growth should not be at...
Matched on
terms: impact
Committee recommendation
48match
#13 - Twelfth Report: Management of tax reliefs
We asked HMRC what assessment it had made to determine who benefited from another large tax relief, the VAT relief on the construction of new dwellings. HMRC forecast that the relief cost £15 billion in 2018–19. We asked whether the relief would distinguish between the benefit of someone spending large sums of money to build a single house,...
Matched on
terms: assessment
NAO recommendation
48match
UK Research and Innovation’s management of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
UKRI should review the impact of changes in its conditions for co-investment funding on the size of business applying for support through the Fund.
Matched on
terms: impact