Doubts over public appointments
News Article 23 February 2005
Only one in five people have confidence in the UK public appointments system, a new report has found.
Stats chief walks election tightrope
Press Review 23 February 2005
The national statistician has conceded he is trying to strike a "difficult balance" between fiddling with sensitive data in an election period and providing accurate figures.
NAO calls for more action to stem homelessness
News Article 23 February 2005
The government has achieved a "significant success" in reducing the number of recorded homeless, a new report has found.
Renewable energy switch costs £1 billion
News Article 11 February 2005
Achieving the government's aim of generating 10 per cent of power by renewable means by 2010 will cost taxpayers and consumers over £1 billion, according to the National Audit Office.
Redwood welcomes quango cull call
News Article 11 February 2005
The Conservatives have welcomed a new report highlighting the proliferation of quangos in British public life.
Audit Commission vows to halve inspection costs
Press Review 9 February 2005
The Audit Commission has pledged to halve the cost of its inspection work by next year.
London politicians combine to tackle quangos
News Article 6 February 2005
The Capital's councils and the London assembly have joined forces in a bid to cut the power of unelected bodies.
Truancy rate remains intractable
News Article 4 February 2005
Ministers have failed to meet targets on tackling school truancy, according to a new watchdog report.
Quangos facing sweeping cuts
Press Review 2 February 2005
The Department of Heath has instructed the Health Protection Agency to reduce its annual budget by 16 per cent.
Foot and mouth outbreak 'possible at any time'
News Article 2 February 2005
Britain is still at risk of a foot and mouth outbreak, parliament's spending watchdog has warned.
Report urges statistics shake up
Press Review 1 February 2005
An independent review, led by Sir Tony Atkinson, has called for an overhaul of the way public sector productivity is measured.
Report calls for government statistics review
News Article 31 January 2005
A major review into the way government measures productivity has called for the creation of a principled framework to monitor public service delivery.
Watchdog praises action on car crime
News Article 28 January 2005
The National Audit Office has said that government action has helped to cut car crime by almost a third since 1999.
Watchdog backs Whitehall property deal
News Article 26 January 2005
The Department for Work and Pensions has been praised for the way it transferred its property portfolio to the private sector.
Benefit fraud stuck at £3bn
Press Review 19 January 2005
For the 15th successive year, auditors have queried the accounts of the Department for Work and Pensions because of doubts over the extent of benefit fraud.
