Collections Management in the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland
Collections Management in the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland

Author:

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-06-08

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 0102940053

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The National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland (MAGNI), created in 1998, brought together the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, and the Ulster-American Folk Park (and it is also responsible for the operation of W5, the first Science Discovery Centre in Ireland, opened in 2001). The collection comprises some 1.45 million artefacts and works of art. The NIAO examined the structure of MAGNI, and the documentation and storage of the collection. Since 1994 all acquisitions have been documented to SPECTRUM (Standard ProcEdures for CollecTions Recording Used in Museums) standards, an internationally recognised standard for museum documentation. Although considerable progress has been made in computerisation, less than ten per cent of records are currently computerised. NIAO recommends: (i) a key performance indicator covering the percentage of the collection documented to international standards, reported annually; (ii) more photographing of important items (for records and internet use); (iii) regular physical inspection of a sample of records. At present only ten percent of the collection is on display. Storage of the remainder in some 50 separate locations was found to be poor or unacceptable in 30 locations, although the main stores holding the bulk of the collection are classed as good to excellent. NIAO welcomes the storage development plan being created, and recommends consideration of a centralized store, and performance indicators on storage conditions and internet accessibility to improve public access to the collections.

Collections Management
Collections Management

Author: Anne Fahy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-07-25

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1134830513

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Collections Management brings together leading papers exploring some of the major issues affecting collections management. Providing information about initiatives and issues for anyone involved in collections management, Fahy identifies the main issues relating to collecting and disposal of collections and discusses why museums should develop appropriate documentation systems. Examining the status of research within museums, the various sources of advice relating to security and addresses the basics of insurance and indemnity, Collections Management is an invaluable and very practical introduction to this topic for students of museum studies and museum professionals.

Financial management in the NHS
Financial management in the NHS

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-03-20

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 9780215033062

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Spending on the NHS is the fastest growing area of public expenditure, with a budget for 2004-05 of £69.7 billion, rising to £76.4 billion in 2005-06 and £92.6 billion in 2007-08. Despite the increased resources, the NHS reported an overall deficit of £251 million (including Foundation Trusts) in 2004-05, the first time since 1999-2000 that the NHS as a whole had overspent. In 2005-06, the overall deficit increased to £570 million, with a rise in both the number of NHS organisations (Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts) reporting a deficit and the proportion of those bodies reporting a deficit. Following on from a report (HC 1059-I, session 2005-06; ISBN 9780102938159) published in June 2006, jointly prepared by the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission, the Committee's report examines three main issues: the factors that led to the deficits, the impact on the organisations involved, and the steps taken to recover the deficits. Amongst its findings, the Committee concludes that there are a number of reasons why NHS bodies are in deficit, with most organisations in deficit tending to have had a deficit the previous year. Bodies already in deficit looking to turn their financial position around can be disadvantaged as they are expected to recover that deficit in the next financial period. The NHS has been under significant financial pressure to meet the costs of national pay initiatives which the Department of Health had not fully costed, and as some NHS bodies have coped better than others in managing these cost pressures, this indicates that the standard of financial management expertise varies across the NHS, as does the level of clinical engagement in financial matters.

Preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Preparations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-07-10

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 0215034929

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Following on from the NAO report (HCP 252, session 2006-07; ISBN 9780102944273) published in February 2007, the Committee has examined the progress that has been made in preparing for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the areas of risk that will need to be managed. The report highlights seven main areas of risk including: i) the governance and delivery structures needed to co-ordinate the multiplicity of organisations and groups involved in the Games; ii) given the immovable deadline of the Games, any slippage in the delivery programme risks rising costs or a reduction in quality; iii) as the ultimate guarantor of funding for the Games, the Government needs to ensure the budget for the Games is clearly determined and effectively managed, given that the costs of the Games were seriously underestimated at the time of the bid; iv) the need for clarity in planning to ensure a lasting legacy for venues after the Games are over; and v) planning to minimise the impact of funding the Games on other National Lottery good causes.

Good governance
Good governance

Author: Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-05-04

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780102948165

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Strengthening governance in the public sector is seen as a means of improving the capability of public bodies to deliver high quality services. The need to promote and encourage good corporate governance within departments and arms length bodies (ALBs) in Northern Ireland has been underscored by several high profile cases of weaknesses which became the subject of recent NIAO/Public Accounts Committee reports: the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, education and library boards, and LEDU. This report, based on a review of six departments and ten of their ALBs, examines three main areas: (1) structural relationships; (2) management of sponsorship risks; (3) accountability. Structures within departments for dealing with sponsored bodies should be clearly defined with clear channels of management, accountability and communication. A coherent strategic management approach should promote consistency of business objectives. Departments and ALBs should co-operate in setting objectives, agreeing targets. Departments should ensure that ALBs have in place necessary financial and management controls and procedures. On risk, departments should have processes in place for the identification and management of risks associated with sponsorship, and these should be regularly reviewed. Internal audit can provide assurance on risk management. To safeguard accountability, effective liaison, reporting and monitoring arrangements are required. ALB boards, and departmental and ALB audit committees have crucial roles in accountability.

Managing the defence estate
Managing the defence estate

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-11-29

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780215037473

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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has an extensive and complex estate of some 24,000 hectares, and after the Forestry Commission, is the second largest landowner in the UK. The estate is valued at over £18 billion and costs some £3.3 billion to operate. The estate is seen as essential to the delivery of military capability and the welfare and morale of Service personnel. This report, from the Committee of Public Accounts, has taken evidence from the MoD on the standard of living accommodation, the Department's ability to prioritise estate projects effectively, and its response to staff shortages. It follows on from an NAO report (HCP 154, session 2006-7), Managing the Defence Estate: Quality and Sustainability (ISBN 9780102944679). It sets out 9 recommendations, including: more than half of single living accommodation and over 40% of family accommodation does not meet the Department's definition of high-quality accommodation and is therefore substandard; that poor accommodation has a negative impact on retention rates; there is no information on when poor accommodation is to be upgraded, with some military personnel and their families having to continue to live in substandard housing for the next 20 years; there are gaps in the Department's understanding of estate costs; the Department employs only 56% of safety works staff and 57% of quantity surveyors that it needs; that implementing energy saving measures at its' defence sites would bring environmental benefits and savings of more than £2 million annually.

Assets Recovery Agency
Assets Recovery Agency

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-10-12

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9780215036339

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The Assets Recovery Agency (the Agency) was set up in 2003 to recover assets from criminals using new and unique powers of civil recovery as well as criminal confiscation and taxation. It was also tasked with the training, accreditation and monitoring of financial investigators. The Agency is to be disbanded in 2008. It was set up with insufficient preparatory work. There was no business case setting out the expectations for the Agency, resulting in unachievable delivery aims. It is reliant on cases being referred to it by other authorities, but only 707 cases have been referred from 129 out of 696 potential referral partners. The Agency did not develop effective work processes: it failed to keep a comprehensive database of cases referred to it; it did not invest in a time-recording system to manage and monitor staff time and the cost of cases; and it failed to put in place processes to enable management to monitor the progression of cases effectively. Receivers' fees accounted for almost a quarter of the budget but fixed price contracts were not introduced until April 2006. The Agency's office is in central London, heavily reliant on temporary staff, and with high levels of staff turnover. The Agency had recovered assets amounting to only £23 million by December 2006 against expenditure of £65 million, and it has not met its target of becoming self-financing by 2005-06. Asset recovery has been slow because in most cases the full value of the assets was pursued through the courts rather than seeking settlement for a proportion of the assets. The Agency has not been adequately monitoring the accreditation of trained financial investigators. Of the 4,500 financial investigators trained at almost £700 per place, only 1,400 of those were active in the role by summer 2006.

H.M. Treasury
H.M. Treasury

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-11-27

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780215037350

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Under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) there are now 800 contracts with private sector suppliers for services worth in total £155 billion up to 2032. To achieve value for money, all stages of a project have to be managed effectively, including in the tendering process. The Committee, in a 2003 report highlighted a number of issues regarding the PFI tendering process (HCP 764, session 2002-03, ISBN 9780215011244). This report re-examines the tendering and benchmarking in PFI, finding that the Treasury had done little to apply what it had learned from the large number of PFI deals signed; that there has been no improvement in tendering times and significant risks to value for money continue to be taken when public authorities make late changes to deals. The Committee has set out 7 conclusions and recommendations, including: that since 2004, the proportion of deals attracting only two bidders has more than doubled with the risk of no competition; one third of public sector teams made changes to PFI projects after they had selected a single, preferred bidder; benchmarking and market testing have increased prices by up to 14%; public authorities have found it difficult to find appropriate data to benchmark PFI service costs; there is evidence that public authorities, faced with price increases have had to cut back services in hospitals, including portering, to keep contracts affordable; that there is a continuing lack of PFI experience and skills within public procurement teams.

Filing of VAT and company tax returns
Filing of VAT and company tax returns

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-12-04

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780215037602

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On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, this report examined HM Revenue and Customs on getting VAT and Company Tax returns in on time, encouraging businesses to file tax returns online. The Department spends over £9 million a year on processing nine million VAT and Company Tax returns but one in five Company Tax returns and one in seven VAT returns are filed late or not at all. The Department lacks information on businesses that repeatedly file late and the links between late filing and other forms of non-compliance. The penalty regimes are variable and the fixed rate penalties for Company tax are low and not routinely applied, so the Department should also look at non-financial incentives such as tax clearance certificates. Less than 10% of companies' use online filing and the Department does not expect to meet its target of getting 50% of VAT returns filed online by 2007-8 and plans for mandatory online filing for Company Tax have been put back to 2010. Online filing would save the Department most of its current processing costs and be cheaper for businesses. Additional plans to reduce the administrative burden of filing taxes are unlikely to be implemented before 2011.

The Thames Gateway
The Thames Gateway

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-11-15

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780215037206

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The Thames Gateway regeneration programme covers the area between Canary Wharf in London and the mouth of the River Thames, one of the most deprived areas in the Greater South East. It aims to create 160,000 new homes and 180,000 new jobs in the area by 2016 and with further development beyond that date. This project is one of 15 mission critical programmes prioritised by the Government and requires broad cross-government working so that new homes are supported by adequate transport, education, health, community, leisure, green space and environmental infrastructure. It is the only large scale regeneration programme managed directly by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Following on from a NAO report (HCP 526, session 2006-07, ISBN 9780102945263) published in May 2007, the Committee's report examines the DCLG's overall management of the programme on four main issues: turning aspirations into plans that are delivered; more integrated and better co-ordinated expenditure; progress on delivering homes and employment opportunities; and achieving high quality and environmentally sustainable development. Conclusions drawn include that the Department's management has been weak and its programme management systems are not commensurate with the programme's size and scale of ambition. Measurable objectives and robust systems to measure progress are lacking, there are concerns over costing and delivery chain issues.and there is a risk that the economic benefits of regeneration will not reach existing residents.