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Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-04-26
Total Pages: 64
ISBN-13: 9780215028495
DOWNLOAD EBOOKTwenty-fifth report of Session 2005-06 : Documents considered by the Committee on 19 April 2006, report, together with formal Minutes
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2005-10-27
Total Pages: 180
ISBN-13: 9780215025999
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFifth report of Session 2005-06 : Documents considered by the Committee on 12 October 2005, including: the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Commission legislative proposals; Marketing of maize genetically modified for resistance to corn rootworm; Declara
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-04-25
Total Pages: 48
ISBN-13: 9780215028457
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn 2004-05 HM Revenue and Customs paid £15.8 billion of Tax Credits. The Department recalculates each award annually and has identified that for 2003-04 it overpaid some £2.2 billion to 1.9 million families. It believes that 2004-05 will see a similar level of overpayment. This is partly due to the nature of the scheme where awards are provisionally based on previous income whilst the final award is based on actual income. However the level of overpayment has been higher than was initial estimated and repayments have caused distress to some families. This report looks at measures being taken to reduce overpayments; claimant error and fraud; and the settlement with EDS over problems with the computer system. The Committee attaches great importance to this subject and wish to return to it in the future.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-06-27
Total Pages: 36
ISBN-13: 9780215029362
DOWNLOAD EBOOKFollowing on from the NAO report (HCP 595-I, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102936250) published in November 2005, the Committee's report examines the recommendations made to improve the MoD's procurement of defence equipment focusing on time, cost and performance data for 30 defence projects in the year ended March 2005. This covers the 20 largest projects where the main investment decision has been taken and the 10 largest projects still in the assessment stage. The Committee's report focuses on three main issues: options for enhancing programme and project management of defence acquisition; the impact of older projects on overall acquisition performance; and value for money from the Defence Industrial Strategy. Findings include: i) the MoD has reduced the forecast costs of its top 19 projects by some £700 million, but these cuts were needed to bring the Defence Equipment Plan under control rather than the result of better project management; ii) some of the latest capability cuts are short-term expediencies which may result in an erosion of core defence capability or in higher costs throughout the life of individual projects; and iii) despite previous assurances that it had restructured many of its older projects to address past failures, the MoD still attributes much of its historic poor performance to so called "toxic legacy" projects which continue to accumulate considerable time and cost overruns, and it is now time that such projects were put on a firm footing with realistic performance, time and cost estimates against which the MoD and industry can be judged.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-07-11
Total Pages: 52
ISBN-13: 9780215029683
DOWNLOAD EBOOKStrokes are one of the top three causes of death in England and a leading cause of adult disability. There are 110,000 strokes each year in England, with a quarter occurring to people under 65 years. Some 300,000 people in England are living with moderate to severe disabilities as a result of a stroke. As the NAO report on this subject pointed out (HCP 452, session 05/06 NAO ISBN 010293570X), it costs the economy in total about £7 billion a year, with the direct cost to the NHS about £2.8 billion. This Committee of Public Accounts report takes evidence from the Department of Health and sets out a number of recommendations. The cost of stroke, in both economic and human terms, could be reduced by re-organizing existing services more effectively. Brain scans of many stroke patients are being delayed, everyone who suffers a stroke should be scanned as soon as possible after arrival in hospital, and should not wait more than 24 hours. Stroke patients should spend longer in hospital on a stroke unit, this could reduce the number of deaths. There needs to be an increase in the number of consultants who have training in dealing with strokes, as well as therapists and other specialist staff with expertise in stroke care across the primary and secondary healthcare sectors. The Department of Health should improve provision of information to stroke survivors and carers, so they are made more aware of the support services available. The Department should run an awareness campaign to improve public knowledge about strokes
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-04-27
Total Pages: 44
ISBN-13: 9780215028440
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe 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.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-07-06
Total Pages: 52
ISBN-13: 9780215029621
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEveryday the NHS successfully treats over 1 million people. However there are risks and treatments can go wrong. A report by the Chief Medical Officer in 2000, ('An organisation with a memory', ISBN 0113224419) estimated that one in ten patients admitted to hospital were unintentionally harmed and that a blame culture and lack of a national system for sharing experience were key barriers to reducing the number of patient safety incidents. In Government's response included plans, timetables and targets to promote patient safety and the establishment of the National Patient Safety Agency. This report finds that insufficient progress has been made. In particular there is a question mark over the National Patient Safety Agency because of cost over-runs and delays in its National Reporting and Learning System and the limited feedback it has so far provided to trusts.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-03-02
Total Pages: 48
ISBN-13: 9780215027665
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe term third sector describes a range of voluntary and community sector organisations including small local community groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts and co-operatives. Following on from the NAO report (HCP 75, session 2005-06; ISBN 0102933243) published in June 2005, the Committees report examines the progress made by central government departments and other funders to improve the way they work with the third sector to achieve value for money in the provision of public services. Findings include that voluntary sector funding represents less than one per cent of central government spending and only limited progress has been made to increase the sectors involvement in delivering government programmes. Voluntary sector organisations are often subject to greater scrutiny and monitoring than private sector providers, and fairer funding practices need to be applied by departments. The Public Service Agreement target to achieve a five per cent increase in voluntary sector participation in public service delivery by 2006 is likely to be met, but the Home Office and the Treasury need to set revised targets beyond 2006 to provide a real incentive to departments to increase their engagement with the sector.
Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2006-04-11
Total Pages: 116
ISBN-13: 9780215028372
DOWNLOAD EBOOKTwenty-third report of Session 2005-06 : Documents considered by the Committee on 29 March 2006, including, Promotion of clean road vehicles, report, together with formal Minutes
Author: House of Lords
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2008-10-13
Total Pages: 60
ISBN-13: 9780104013571
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPresents a report on aspects of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy since the 2005 election. This book draws attention to criticisms of the UK's counter-terrorism law and policy in various reports by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the UN Human Rights Committee. HC 1077.
