Download or read book Public Sector Auditing written by Sir John Bourn and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-07-31 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on 20 years of experience as Comptroller and Auditor General, and head of the United Kingdom National Audit Office, Public Sector Auditing: Is it Value for Money? is Sir John Bourn’s own account of the role and influence value for money auditing has in holding governments to account and in helping public bodies improve the ways in which they deliver services. Key features include: In-depth case studies from UK, US, Canada, China, India and Australia; Detailed analysis of complex areas of public expenditure such as health, education, privatisation, regulation, defence and IT; Examples of how auditing can promote positive outcomes rather than negative post mortems. This book is relevant for people working in both the public and private sectors, and should be essential reading for the staff of public sector audit institutions around the world, as well as commercial accountancy firms and students of accountancy, politics, economics and public management.

Download or read book Department for Work and Pensions departmental report 2007 written by Great Britain: Department for Work and Pensions and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-05-16 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dated May 2007

Download or read book International Benchmark of Fraud and Error in Social Security Systems written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The report, based on research carried out by RAND Europe and commissioned by the National Audit Office, presents the results of a benchmarking exercise investigating the issue of fraud and error in the social security systems of eight European and non-European countries (covering Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States). The study describes the different systems studied, assesses the scale and prominence of the problem in a national context, outlines approaches taken to measure and to reduce fraud and error, and draws out the principal themes emerging from the comparisons of relevance for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Findings include that the availability of data and methodologies for measuring fraud and error at national level vary considerably, but the DWP is at the forefront in developing estimates of losses arising from fraud and error in social security expenditure. The high levels of estimated fraud and error in expenditure on benefits, £2.6 billion in 2004-05, have led to the NAO qualifying the DWP's accounts and those of the former Department of Social Security for 16 years in a row. The rates of fraud at the DWP appear comparable to those of other countries, such as USA, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand, and it compares favourably in terms of awareness of the problem and activities to combat the problem.

Download or read book Progress in Tackling Benefit Fraud written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benefit fraud is a crime and undermines public confidence in the benefits system. In 2006-07, the Department for Work and Pensions estimated that it spent some £154 million on tackling fraud, identifying £106 million of overpaid benefit, against total benefit expenditure of £120 billion. The Department estimates that fraud fell from £2 billion in 2001-02 to £800 million in 2006-07, which is 0.6% of benefit expenditure. But the Department must do more to reverse the rise in official and customer error. Estimated error rose from £1 billion in 2001-02 to £1.9 billion in 2006-07. Benefit complexity is believed to be a major cause of error. Increasing the volume of pre-payment checks and encouraging customers to receive benefit payments directly into their bank accounts has prevented some fraud. The Department now works closely with the police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and local authorities to prevent, identify and act against fraud. But it could make more effective use of its powers and resources. While the Department successfully prosecutes 90 per cent of the cases it takes to court, the Prosecution Division has lost 17 per cent of its staff since 2003. Debt recovery is an essential part of tackling fraud, yet in 2006-07 the Department only recovered £22 million of fraud debt out of a known fraud debt stock of £339 million. The Department has been slow to improve its management information systems, hampering its ability to measure the cost-effectiveness of counter-fraud activities. It has taken from 2003 until February 2008 to roll out a new national management information system, known as FRAIMS, at a cost of £65 million.

Download or read book H M Treasury annual report and accounts 2006 2007 written by Great Britain: H.M. Treasury and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-06-04 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dated June 2007. Supplied via TSO's On-Demand Publishing Service

Download or read book Progress in tackling benefit fraud written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008-01-23 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This NAO report is a follow up to one issued in the 2002-03 session (HC 393, ISBN 9780102920635), Tackling Benefit Fraud. The report sets out some key facts, including: that the total benefit expenditure is £120 billion; the total number of recipients is 18 million; the total estimated fraud is £0.8 billion. In the 2006-07 period, £154 million was spent on six strategies to reduce fraud, with a Departmental estimate of £106 million of benefit overpayments identified as a result of fraud investigation and compliance activity. Also in the 2006-07 period, the Department recovered £22 million of the total £339 million outstanding fraud debt. Although the NAO has identified that fraud has fallen from an estimated £2 billion in 2001-02 to an estimated £0.8 billion in 2006-07, official error has risen in the same period from £1 billion to £1.9 billion. Tackling fraud is a key priority for the Department for Work and Pensions, and the report examines the main anti-fraud initiatives, recognising that: tackling benefit is inherently difficult; that the UK has levels of social security fraud and error which are similar to those of comparable countries; that the Department has made good progress in tackling fraud, but will find it increasingly difficult to secure further year on year reductions. The NAO has also set out a number of recommendations, including: that the Department's management information on fraud could be improved, with greater communication between the various departmental directorates responsible for counter-fraud work; that a review of the cost effectiveness of the Customer Compliance approach (which deals with lower risk cases of fraud) should be done; that a record of the outcomes of prosecution activities should be taken by case type to provide better Departmental information; that the Department must review recovery of overpayments in fraud cases and consider setting appropriate targets for recovery from customers who have committed fraud.

Download or read book The Palgrave Review of British Politics 2006 written by M. Rush and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-04-10 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Palgrave Review of British Politics 2006 provides up-to-date coverage of developments in British government and politics written by a team of leading experts. This is an indispensable reference book covering the entire political year focussing on the key topics. It also includes a statistical appendix.

Download or read book Tackling the Complexity of the Benefits System written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-04-27 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The complexity of the benefit system is a key factor affecting the performance of the Department for Work and Pensions. Although this complexity is often necessary in order to administer the system cost-effectively and protect public funds against abuse, it can also result in high levels of error by staff, confusion for customers and help create a climate where fraud can more easily take place. The Committee's report finds that although the DWP has taken steps to address this problem (for example, in the design of Pension Credit, simplifying claim processes for several benefits and better sharing of information with local authorities), these are rather piecemeal developments and it is difficult to tell whether the system as a whole has become more or less complex as there is currently no objective way of measuring it. Some of the steps taken to simplify processes for customers are a way of managing complexity, rather than eliminating it. Managing complexity requires well-trained staff supported by accessible guidance and assistance and efficient information technology systems, and the DWP should also improve its written communications with customers.

Download or read book Delivering Effective Services Through Contact Centres written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-03-15 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This NAO report examines the role and cost effectiveness of contact services for customers from the Department for Work and Pensions. During the 2004-05 period the Department spent £190 million on running contact centres. The centres themselves answered more than 33 million incoming calls, and made 7 million outgoing calls, as well as handling 300,000 e-mails, 30,000 faxes and 4 million incoming letters and application forms. The Department serves a wide range of customers, including 28 million pensioners and benefit recipients, paying out £112 billion a year in benefits and pensions. This report sets out a number of recommendations: that the Department should develop its understanding of customer demand and improve its forecasting processes; that the Department should aim to offer a seamless service, by reducing the number of telephone contact points, as well as sharing good practice techniques across such areas as forecasting and training; that contractual arrangements for staff should match the demand needs of customers, and that contact centre targets should therefore focus on customer need; that the Department should advance initiatives to improve its information on costs.

Download or read book Management of Benefit Overpayment Debt written by Great Britain. National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department for Work and Pensions increased recoveries of benefit overpayments from �180 million in 2005-06 to �272 million in 2007-08, and preliminary results suggest that the Department has achieved its recovery target of �279 million for 2008-09. But recoveries are not keeping pace with the rate of increase in identified overpayments. In 2007-08, �106 billion of benefit payments were made directly by the Department to customers. In the same period 1.3 million overpayments were identified totalling �558 million, exceeding recoveries made of �272 million. The stock of debt therefore increased by some seven per cent from �1.67 billion to �1.8 billion. The NAO report also found that the Department recovers about �3 for every �1 spent on debt recovery operations, though recoveries in 2007-08 represent only some 15 per cent of the identified debt outstanding by the end of the year. The Department's ability to accelerate recovery is restricted by a number of factors, including limitations on the amount which can be deducted weekly from customers' benefits payments under Social Security legislation, and difficulties in tracing some customers who are no longer on benefits. The NAO recommends that the Department pilot increased use of customer contact methods, such as texting, to encourage prompter notification of changes in circumstances which affect benefit entitlement; and that it use risk profiles for customer groups to better target debt collection activities. It should seek more information, for example proof of earnings, when negotiating repayment plans with 'off benefit' debtors; and should enhance performance indicators to monitor the performance of debt collection operations.

Download or read book Crossing Boundaries in Public Management and Policy written by Janine O'Flynn and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-24 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 21st century governments are increasingly focusing on designing ways and means of connecting across boundaries to achieve goals. Whether issues are complex and challenging – climate change, international terrorism, intergenerational poverty– or more straightforward - provision of a single point of entry to government or delivering integrated public services - practitioners and scholars increasingly advocate the use of approaches which require connections across various boundaries, be they organizational, jurisdictional or sectorial. Governments around the world continue to experiment with various approaches but still confront barriers, leading to a general view that there is considerable promise in cross boundary working, but that this is often unfulfilled. This book explores a variety of topics in order to create a rich survey of the international experience of cross-boundary working. The book asks fundamental questions such as: What do we mean by the notion of crossing boundaries? Why has this emerged? What does cross boundary working involve? What are the critical enablers and barriers? By scrutinizing these questions, the contributing authors examine: the promise; the barriers; the enablers; the enduring tensions; and the potential solutions to cross-boundary working. As such, this will be an essential read for all those involved with public administration, management and policy.

Download or read book The Rural Payments Agency and the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-03-29 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The EU Single Payment Scheme replaced 11 previous subsidies to farmers based on agricultural production with one payment for land management. The European Commission gave some discretion to Member States over how to implement the scheme, and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which is responsible for administering the scheme in England, opted for the dynamic hybrid model which incorporates elements of previous entitlement and new regionalised area payments based on a flat rate per hectare. A NAO report (HCP 1631, session 2005-06, ISBN 9780102943399), published in October 2006, found that the RPA underestimated the risks and complexities involved in implementing the hybrid model, and the IT system was never tested as a whole before the scheme was introduced. It failed to adequately pilot land registration, and underestimated the amount of work involved in both mapping the land and processing each claim, having to rely on often inexperienced temporary and agency staff to clear the backlog. The difficulties were not picked up early enough, neither by the RPA nor Defra, for corrective action to be taken in time, resulting in the RPA's failure to meet its own payment targets. Delayed payments have cost farmers money in additional interest and bank charges, and caused distress to a significant minority of farmers, particularly hill farmers. The cost of implementing the scheme was budgeted at £76 million but rose to £122 million by March 2006, with further cost increases likely. Following on from a previous Committee report on the RPA (HCP 840, session 2005-06, ISBN 9780215027115), published in January 2006 and in light of the NAO findings, this report focuses on aspects of policy decision-making and political accountability raised by the problems with the Single Payment Scheme. The Committee concludes the Scheme has been a catastrophe for some farmers and a serious and embarrassing failure for Defra and the RPA, and Defra's fundamental failure to carry out one of its core tasks (that is to pay farmers their financial entitlements on time) differentiates this issue from the myriad of botched Government IT projects. There is a need for greater expertise within government in the delivery of such complex IT projects, and the report also criticises the quality of advice given by the Office of Government Commerce and the IT system designed by Accenture as the principal IT contractor. Defra determined the policies which it required the RPA to implement and Defra leadership was at fault for accepting RPA statements that implementing the complex hybrid model to deadline was "do-able". The Committee argues that responsibility for this failure goes wider than the dismissal of the RPA chief executive, and ministers and senior Defra officials should also be held to account, particularly Margaret Beckett (the then Defra Secretary of State), Sir Brian Bender, (the former Defra Permanent Secretary) and Andy Lebrecht (the Director General for Sustainable Farming, Food and Fisheries). It concludes that a departmental failure as serious as this should result in the removal from office of those responsible for faulty policy design and implementation, and it recommends that new guidance on Ministerial accountability is needed in the event of such serious departmental failure.

Download or read book Benefits simplification written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-07-26 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No welfare system that attempts to meet the needs of millions of vulnerable people can be simple but this report concludes the UK benefit system has an unacceptable level of dysfunctional complexity. This causes considerable operational difficulties and can contribute to financial hardship for claimants. Although some good work is being done on incremental and operational improvement, this cannot address the far-reaching systematic complexity. The Committee is disappointed that the Government has not set out a clear vision for a simplified system and asks that it should consider the case for radical reform. They note the role played by the Pensions Commission in assessing the options for UK pensions and propose the establishment of a Welfare Commission that can undertake a full examination of the possibility for fundamental change.

Download or read book Stability Security and Opportunity for All written by Great Britain, Treasury Staff and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2004 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: White paper dated July 2004.

Download or read book Social Policy Review 20 written by Maltby, Tony and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2008-06-11 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Policy Review provides students, academics and all those interested in welfare issues with critical analyses of progress and change in areas of major interest during the past year. Contributions reflect key themes in the UK and internationally. The first part of the collection focuses on developments and change in core UK social policy areas. Part two provides in-depth analyses of topical issues from both UK and international perspectives, while this year's themed section examines 'Gender and policy'.

Download or read book Managing staff costs in central government written by Great Britain: National Audit Office and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-03-11 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The total costs of central government staff grew by 10 per cent in real terms in the ten years to 2009-10, with current costs totalling £16.4 billion. Over the same period, staff numbers fell by 1 per cent, from 497,000 full time equivalents to 493,000. The growth in staff costs is largely the result of an unplanned increase in the number of staff in higher grades. Between March 2001 and March 2010, the number of administrative grade staff declined. But all higher grades grew in number, with Civil Service management grades 6 and 7 showing a 67 per cent increase (around 14,000 posts). This change in grade mix accounts directly for approximately 50 per cent of the staffing cost increase. Some 35 per cent of the real terms increase in staff costs is due to increases in salaries and performance-related pay. A range of immediate central actions in response to spending pressures has been announced, including freezes on pay and recruitment. But the longer term reductions in staff costs required by the 2010 Spending Review will be the responsibility of departments and agencies, and many do not have a comprehensive understanding of their own staff costs or skills in order to support this cost reduction activity adequately. The scale of staff cost reductions is unlikely to be achieved by natural turnover alone. Despite proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, the up-front costs of voluntary or compulsory redundancy schemes and early retirements will be significant.

Download or read book ODPM Annual Report and Accounts 2005 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: ODPM: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2006-01-26 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incorporating HCP 680, session 2005-06.