House Of Commons Committee Of Public Accounts Cabinet Office Iimproving Government Procurement And The Impact Government S Ict Savings Initiatives Hc 137

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Cabinet Office: Iimproving Government Procurement And The Impact Government's ICT Savings Initiatives - HC 137

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Cabinet Office Iimproving Government Procurement And The Impact Government s ICT Savings Initiatives HC 137 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2013-09-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215061616

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Cabinet Office: Iimproving Government Procurement And The Impact Government's ICT Savings Initiatives - HC 137 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

Central government spent a total of around £45 billion on buying goods and services in 2011-12, including an estimated £6.9 billion on ICT. Since 2010, the government has introduced a range of procurement reforms designed to save money. These include centralising the procurement of goods and services bought by all departments, such as energy and travel. All ICT spending over £5million must be approved by the Cabinet Office, and a programme to develop ICT infrastructure which can be shared across government organisations has been developed. These reforms are beginning to have an impact: the proportion of spending that goes through central contracts has increased steadily; the ICT initiatives have resulted in some savings; and there are signs that departments are starting to think more intelligently about why and how they use ICT. But the accountability arrangements for centralised procurement remain a barrier; the centre manages the contracts yet departments remain liable for their own spending decisions so they are reluctant to cede authority to the centre. Management information on spending and savings is incomplete, so departments do not always trust the figures on savings claimed. These gaps in accountability and data make it harder to make the case for procurement across central government and in the wider public sector to be centralised. The commitment to localism seems to be at odds with buying through central contracts, and government's desire to give more government business to small firms does not appear to have changed the way large procurements are managed.

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Whole of Government Accounts 2011-12 - HC 667

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Whole of Government Accounts 2011 12 HC 667 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2013-12-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215064860

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Whole of Government Accounts 2011-12 - HC 667 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The Whole of Government Accounts for 2011-12 presents the combined financial activities of some 3,000 organisations. It provides vital data on which Government needs to act. Key issues have been identified, such as the £19.4 billion liability for clinical negligence claims. But it is frustrating to see other issues seemingly ignored in long-term policy making and spending decisions. In one year, the public sector was defrauded of over £20 billion and the tax gap rose to £35 billion. The financial liabilities for dealing with nuclear waste also keep growing. There is room for improvement in the document itself and how it is used. Users find it hard to understand, for example, why the Government debt and deficit highlighted in the WGA differ from those reported in the ONS's National Accounts. Also, by changing definitions in its commentary published alongside the WGA, the Treasury makes it difficult to track changes over time. The Treasury's introduction in the commentary of a new concept of so-called 'direct' expenditure leaves out key costs such as the interest paid on the National Debt. The publicly owned and controlled bodies - such as Network Rail and the taxpayer owned banks - are still being excluded, in defiance of normal accounting rules. The usefulness of the WGA is also being limited by the length of time it takes to produce the document and by poor quality data from some of the bodies. The accounts have again been qualified over the completeness, timeliness and accuracy of the information supplied for schools and academies

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Police Procurement - HC 115

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Police Procurement HC 115 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2013-09-17
Category : Law
ISBN : 0215061772

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Police Procurement - HC 115 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

Police forces pay widely varying prices for very similar items, which means money is being wasted. The price paid for such basic items as standard-issue boots can vary from £25 to £114, or £14 to £43 for handcuffs. This is even the case where items are identical. It cannot be right that prices paid for the same type of high-visibility jacket varied by as much as 33%. With central funding being cut, police forces must ensure they get best value for money from procurement so that they can focus resources on fighting crime. Forces can make big savings through bulk-buying of items, but have been unable to agree on the most simple things, like how many pockets they should have on their uniforms. The Department cannot persuade enough individual forces to cooperate with its attempts to introduce more centralised procurement, in part because forces are sceptical about the commercial competence of procurement officers working at the centre. National contracts with suppliers are not used by enough forces and do not cover many basic goods and services. Forces' use of the new, online police procurement 'hub' is also woefully below the Home Office's expectations. By 2013, a miniscule 2% of items were being bought through this central hub, against a target of 80% by the end of this Parliament. Police and Crime Commissioners have authority over local spending but, as the Department remains accountable for public money voted by Parliament, it cannot step back from value for money issues

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The New Homes Bonus - HC 114

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts The New Homes Bonus HC 114 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2013-10-31
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 0215063317

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The New Homes Bonus - HC 114 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The New Homes Bonus was introduced as a financial incentive for local authorities to encourage the building of new homes. The scheme is funded from existing local authority grants. £7.5 billion will have been redistributed between councils by 2018-19, so there is a lot of money at stake. It is clearly vital that the incentives work and the Government achieves its aim. It is therefore disappointing that after more than two years of the scheme being up and running, no evaluation is in place and no credible data is available to show whether the scheme is working or not. So far the areas which have gained most money tend to be the areas where housing need is lowest. The areas that have lost most tend to be those where needs are greatest. The Department has yet to demonstrate whether the New Homes Bonus works. Is it helping to create more new homes than would have been built anyway? Is it the best way for Government to use its limited resources to create more homes where they are needed most? Its planned evaluation of the Bonus scheme is now urgent

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The Fight Against Malaria - HC 618

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts The Fight Against Malaria HC 618 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2013-11-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215064429

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The Fight Against Malaria - HC 618 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The Department for International Development is committed to tackling malaria, which affected 219 million people in 2010 and led to 660,000 deaths. However, there is concern that spending by DFID on measures to combat the disease, rising each year to £500 million a year by 2015, may not provide good value as the Department does not have good enough infrastructure everywhere to manage the expenditure effectively. About half of the total number of malaria cases worldwide occur in just two countries - Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo - but the Department has been spreading its resources across 17 countries. It now agrees it should do more work in these two countries but has yet to complete an analysis which would ensure well-informed decisions on where to focus resources. Cuts in funding carry their own risks. On the other hand, long-term commitments can create an equally long-term dependence on UK funding. DfID need to plan and support long term sustainable programmes to combat malaria for which developing countries can take responsibility themselves. DfID must ensure their actions do not have unintended consequences. The Department, for example, the mass distribution of free or subsidised bed nets can damage local businesses selling locally produced nets. It is also essential that the Department make the most of quick, cheap and easy diagnostic tests to increase the number of people who can be quickly diagnosed and effectively treated. This could lead to a halving of the current expenditure on drugs.

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: BBC Severance Packages - HC 476

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts BBC Severance Packages HC 476 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 76 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2013-12-16
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215064917

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: BBC Severance Packages - HC 476 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

In the three years to December 2012, the BBC gave 150 senior managers severance payments totalling £25 million. The BBC paid more salary in lieu of notice than it was obliged to in 22 of the 150 severance payments for senior managers in the three years to December 2012, at a cost of £1.4 million. It is unacceptable for the BBC, or any other public body, to give departing senior managers huge severance payments that far exceed their contractual entitlements. Some of the justifications put forward by the BBC were extraordinary. The Committee welcomes the changes that the BBC's Director General, Lord Hall, has made to cap severance pay. Recommendations include: the BBC should remind its staff that they are all individually responsible for protecting public money and challenging wasteful practices; to protect licence fee payers' interests and its own reputation, the BBC should establish internal procedures that provide clear central oversight and effective scrutiny of severance payments; the BBC Executive and the BBC Trust need to overhaul the way they conduct their business, and record and communicate decisions properly; the BBC Trust should be more willing to challenge practices and decisions where there is a risk that the interests of licence fee payers could be compromised; the BBC Trust and the BBC Executive need to ensure that decision-making is transparent and accountability taken seriously, based on a shared understanding of value for money, with tangible evidence of individuals taking public responsibility for their decisions.

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Universal Credit: Early Progress - HC 619

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Universal Credit Early Progress HC 619 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-07
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 021506349X

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Universal Credit: Early Progress - HC 619 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

Universal Credit is the DWP's single biggest programme and enjoys cross-party support, yet its implementation has been extraordinarily poor. The failure to develop a comprehensive plan has led to extensive delay and the waste of a yet to be determined amount of public money. £425 million has been spent so far on the programme. It is likely that much of this, including at least £140 million worth of IT assets, will now have to be written off. Lack of day-to-day control meant early warning signs were missed, with senior managers becoming aware of problems only through ad hoc reviews. Pressure to deliver a programme of this magnitude within such an ambitious timescale created a fortress culture where only good news was reported and problems were denied. There has been a shocking absence of control over suppliers, with the Department failing to implement the most basic procedures for monitoring and authorising expenditure. The pilot programme is not a proper pilot. Its scope is limited and does not deal with the key issues that Universal Credit must address: the volume of claims; their complexity; change in claimants' circumstances; and the need for claimants to meet conditions for continuing entitlement to benefit. The programme will not hit its current target of enrolling 184,000 claimants by April 2014. The Department will have to speed up the later stages of the programme if it is to meet the 2017 completion date but that will pose new risks. Meeting any specific timetable from now on is less important than delivering the programme successfully

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Student Loan Repayments - HC 886

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Student Loan Repayments HC 886 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2014-02-14
Category : Education
ISBN : 0215068734

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Student Loan Repayments - HC 886 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

There is at present around £46 billion of outstanding student loans on the Government's books, and this figure is set to rise dramatically to £200 billion by 2042 (in 2013 prices). By 2042 there will be an estimated 6.5 million borrowers of student loans. At the same time estimates for the amount of loans that will not be repaid are also rising and the Government assumes that 35-40% of outstanding loans will never be repaid. That is some £16 billion to £18 billion on the current debt of £46 billion and £70 billion to £80 billion on the estimated value of student loans by 2042. The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (the Department) is not doing enough to secure value for money from its collection arrangements. The Department is unable to accurately forecast student loan repayments, and does not have a sufficient understanding of the likely future cost of non-repayment to the taxpayer. The Student Loans Company is not doing enough to ensure that it identifies and collects all the repayments due, given the substantial size of the financial assets involved, and will need to demonstrate value for money from the proposed sale of the student loans book.

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The Duchy of Cornwall - HC 475

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts The Duchy of Cornwall HC 475 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 52 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-05
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215063368

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: The Duchy of Cornwall - HC 475 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The Duchy of Cornwall (the Duchy) delivered a good financial performance in 2012-13, increasing its total income and also its net revenue after taking account of costs. However, the Treasury is not doing enough to scrutinise the Duchy's financial strategy or transactions-it does not independently verify information offered by the Duchy, and details of its approvals for the Duchy's land transactions over £500,000 are not published. The Duchy has a Crown Exemption from tax, but there is no clear understanding of any consequences for its competitors, which are subject to corporation and capital gains tax. The transparency of The Prince of Wales's tax payments is limited by reporting only a combined amount for income tax and VAT. The Duchy's charter rules that each future Duke of Cornwall will be the eldest son and heir of the Monarch, which is out of line with the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Emergency Admissions to Hospital - HC 885

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Emergency Admissions to Hospital HC 885 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2014-03-04
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0215068874

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Emergency Admissions to Hospital - HC 885 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge Pdf

Nearly one fifth of consultant posts in emergency departments were either vacant or filled by locums in 2012. Neither the Department nor NHS England have a clear strategy to tackle the shortage of A&E consultants and there is too much reliance on temporary staff to fill gaps. The Committee raised the possibility of paying consultants more to work at struggling hospitals. Greater use in A&E of consultants from other departments could also be made, or mandate that all trainee consultants spend time in A&E, or make A&E positions more attractive through improved terms and conditions. The slow introduction of round-the-clock consultant cover in hospitals - which will not be in place before the end of 2016-17 - is also having a negative impact. More people die as a result of being admitted at the weekend when fewer consultants are in A&E. Changing this relies on the British Medical Association and NHS Employers negotiating a more flexible consultants' contract, and neither the Department nor NHS England has direct control over the timescale or details of these negotiations. Hospitals, GPs and community health services all have a role to play in reducing emergency admissions - but financial incentives to make this happen are not in place. While hospitals get no money if patients are readmitted within 30 days, there are no financial incentives for community and social care services to reduce emergency admissions. Both the Department of Health and NHS England struggled to explain to us who is ultimately accountable for the efficient delivery of local A&E services

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Charges for Customer Telephone Lines - HC 617

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Charges for Customer Telephone Lines HC 617 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 52 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2013-11-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0215063422

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Charges for Customer Telephone Lines - HC 617 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

Telephone services are a vital part of government support, accounting for 43% of all customer contacts. But departments are continuing to make extensive use of higher rate phone numbers for customer telephone lines despite the fact that many people are put off calling as a result. The most vulnerable callers, on the lowest incomes, face some of the highest charges. Costs to callers are even higher because the caller has to endure long waiting times and poor customer service. In the face of this evidence we welcome the Cabinet Office's acknowledgement that it was "inappropriate" for vulnerable citizens to pay a substantial charge to access public services and its commitment to establish best practice in this field and ensure it is followed across government

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Progress in Delivering the Thameslink Programme - HC 296

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Progress in Delivering the Thameslink Programme HC 296 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 48 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2013-10-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215063287

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Progress in Delivering the Thameslink Programme - HC 296 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The first proposals to modernize the Thameslink route and increase capacity were developed by a succession of rail industry sponsors but nothing much happened until the Department for Transport became sponsor in 2005. The Department has delivered the first phase of the infrastructure project under budget and on time. The other two aspects of the programme are going less well. The procurement of new trains through a £1.6 billion PFI deal has taken over three years longer than expected. And the timetable and approach for letting the new franchise have been revised. The planned completion date has been put back to 2018. But meeting the timetable for delivering the new trains will be very demanding and risky. The Committee is also sceptical about using PFI to fund this project. It is alarming that the Department compared the PFI option against only one other private sector option and did not construct a public sector comparator to understand better the relative costs, risks and rewards of choosing a PFI funding route over a public one. Another source of worry is the small size of the Department's core Thameslink team - just five people for a programme of this size and complexity. The impression that there is a scarcity of these skills is reinforced by the apparent need to move the key civil servant leading the Thameslink team, the man whose experience, skills and continuity have been crucial to the delivery of the programme, over to the High Speed 2 team

The Rural Broadband Programme - HC 834

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge
The Rural Broadband Programme HC 834 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 20 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2014-04
Category : Broadband communication systems
ISBN : 9780215070487

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The Rural Broadband Programme - HC 834 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts,Margaret Hodge Pdf

The Government has failed to deliver meaningful competition in the procurement of its £1.2 billion rural broadband programme, leaving BT effectively in a monopoly position. Despite warnings the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has allowed poor cost transparency and the lack of detailed broadband rollout plans to create conditions whereby alternative suppliers may be crowded out. Whilst BT claims it is making further concessions, this is not impacting on rural communities. Local authorities are still contractually prevented from sharing information to see if they are securing best terms for the public money they spend. Communities can still not access the detailed data they need to understand whether they will be covered by BT's scheme in their area. The lack of transparency on costs and BT's insistence on non-disclosure agreements is symptomatic of BT's exploiting its monopoly position. The Department needs to work urgently with all local authorities to publish detailed mapping of their implementation plans, down to full (7-digit) postcode level. The information should include speed of service, as soon as that is available. The Department should collect, analyse and publish data on deployment costs in the current programme, to inform its consideration of bids from suppliers under the next round of fundingMargaret Hodge was speaking as the Committee published its 50th Report of this Session which, on the basis of evidence from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and BT, examined the roll out of the rural broadband programme

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Access to Clinical Trial Information and the Stockpiling of Tamiflu - HC 295

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts Access to Clinical Trial Information and the Stockpiling of Tamiflu HC 295 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 52 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2014-01-03
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215065972

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: Access to Clinical Trial Information and the Stockpiling of Tamiflu - HC 295 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

The report Access To Clinical Trial Information And The Stockpiling Of Tamiflu (HC 295) examines two separate but connected issues; the routine withholding of clinical trial information from doctors and researchers, and the effectiveness of stockpiling of Tamiflu during an influenza pandemic. The full results of clinical trials are being routinely and legally withheld from doctors and researchers by the manufacturers of medicines. The ability of doctors, researchers and patients to make informed decisions about treatments is being undermined. Regulators and the industry have recently made proposals to open up access, but these do not cover the issue of access to the results of trials in the past which bear on the efficacy and safety of medicines in use today. Research suggests that the probability of completed trials being published is roughly 50%. Trials which give a favorable verdict are about twice as likely to be published as trials giving unfavorable

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012-13 - HC 666

Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts HMRC Tax Collection Annual Report Accounts 2012 13 HC 666 Book PDF

Author : Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher : The Stationery Office
Page : 78 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2013-12-19
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0215065832

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House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts: HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012-13 - HC 666 by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts Pdf

In pursuing unpaid tax, HMRC has not clearly demonstrated that it is on the side of the majority of taxpayers who pay their taxes in full. Last year the Department collected less tax in real terms than it managed to collect in 2011-12. This was despite the stated ambition to crack down on tax avoidance. The tax gap as defined by HMRC did not shrink, but in 2011-12 grew to £35 billion. Furthermore, this figure does not include all the tax revenue lost. HMRC pursues tax owed by the smaller businesses but seems to lose its nerve when it comes to mounting prosecutions against multinational corporations. It predicted that it would collect £3.12 billion unpaid tax from UK holders of Swiss bank accounts and this figure was built into budget estimates, but in 2013-14 it has so far secured just £440 million. HMRC aims to make the UK more attractive to business but the incentives to international corporations may also enable them to avoid tax. HMRC needs to strike the right balance between support and enforcement. The implementation of the Real Time Information system has been encouraging overall though some small businesses are continuing to struggle. It is of concern that HMRC is planning from April 2014 to fine companies even though some face continuing challenges. The successful implementation of Universal Credit depends on RTI continuing to work properly but the system does not have full disaster recovery arrangements. System failures could have serious consequences for payments to individuals