Annual Reports

NAO: For the first time since 2008-09, Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, has given a clear opinion on the annual financial statements of the Legal Services Commission (LSC). This is because he does not consider the estimated £14.5m of irregular payments by the Commission to legal aid providers to be material in the context of annual payments of £2.1bn.
Press release & links
 
NAOA government programme to make superfast broadband available to 90% of premises in each area of the UK is currently expected to be delivered nearly 2 years later than initially planned, the National Audit Office has reported.
Press release & links
 
PA: The Patients Association has recently published its third annual review into elective surgical procedures in the UK.  The report shows a mixed picture, with the trend of declining numbers of operations & longer waiting times being reversed for some procedures, but increasing in others.
Press release & links
 
NAO: The Efficiency & Reform Group (ERG) has achieved significant savings for the taxpayer and has improved the process of calculating government savings.  According to the National Audit Office, the savings lines are underpinned by sound methodologies although uncertainties about the underlying data in departments means the NAO has not attempted to assess the accuracy of the total savings amounts claimed.
Press release & links
 
NAO: The National Audit Office has reported that the transition to the reformed health system was successfully implemented in that the new organisations were ready to start functioning on 1 April 2013, although not all were operating as intended.  Some parts of the system were less ready than others and much remains to be done to complete the transition.
Press release & links
 
PC&PE: In accordance with the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) has laid before Parliament its 2012-2013 Annual Report.
Press release & links
 
CO: A review of progress so far against the 2012 Civil Service Reform Plan calls for the pace of reform to step up. The next stage of civil service reform will see more effective support for ministers and greater accountability for senior civil servants.  This will help government deliver further savings for taxpayers and better public services.
Press release & links ~ FDA: Professionalism, not politicisation, is the key to good ministerial support
 
TNA: The tenth annual report & accounts for The National Archives is now available online.  In their annual report they describe their performance over the past year and explain how they used the funds allocated to them.
Press release & links
 
NAO: Amyas Morse, the Comptroller & Auditor General, has qualified the respective accounts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
Press release & links
 
PC&PE: The Treasury Committee has published the Government’s response to its report on the Budget 2013.
Press release & links
 
NAOGovernment measures to reduce the liability of the state for supporting people in their retirement are being managed separately, without adequate consideration of their combined impact on the overall objective of increasing retirement incomes.  According to a report by the National Audit Office, there is no overarching programme or single accountability for encouraging people to save for retirement.
Press release & links
 
WAG: Information on the numbers & rates of healthcare associated infections in each hospital will be published on NHS organisations’ websites. Updated information will be published every month.
 
The data published last week shows that, overall, all health boards (with acute hospitals in Wales) have made significant progress in the fight against C.difficile and have achieved at least a 50% reduction since 2008/2009.  The overall trend for rates of MRSA infection is also downward, but there has been a slight rise in rates of MSSA
Press release & links
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