Sessional Returns 2001-02 - Contents


26. Public Accounts

The Committee was nominated on 16 July 2001.

It had 17 Members and held 58 Meetings.


Members
Meetings
attended

Leigh, Mr Edward (added 19.7.01) (Chairman from 17.10.01) 55
Bacon, Mr Richard
53
Boateng, Mr Paul (discharged 24.6.02)
0
Davidson, Mr Ian
36
Davies, Geraint
38
Davis, David (Chairman from 18.7.01 until 17.10.01) (discharged 24.6.02)
1
Eagle, Angela (added 16.10.02)
5
Field, Mr Frank (added 15.5.02)
8
Gardiner, Mr Barry (discharged 16.10.02)
28
Gibb, Mr Nick (added 5.11.01)
33
Howarth, Mr George (added 15.5.02)
10
Jenkins, Mr Brian
46
Jones, Mr Nigel (added 15.5.02)
7
Kelly, Ruth (added 24.6.02)
1
Osborne, Mr George
39
Rendel, Mr David
55
Steinberg, Mr Gerry
50
Trickett, Jon
38
Williams, Mr Alan
52

Overall Attendance:
65.8 %
Number of Members added:
7
Number of Members discharged:
3
Turnover of membership during the Session:
17.6 %

Staff

Clerk of the Committee: Mr Kennedy Brown OBE (until 31.12.01), Senior Clerk (Band A2); Mr Nick Wright (from 7.11.01), Senior Clerk (Band A2)

Committee Assistant: Miss Susan Monaghan (until 26.10.01), Chief Office Clerk (Band C); Mr Richard Poureshagh (from 14.11.01), Chief Office Clerk (Band C) (from 15.11.01)

Secretary: Miss Ronnie Jefferson, Secretary Grade 3 (Band D1), Secretary Grade 2 (Band C) (from 17.10.01 until 14.11.01)

Other Committee Staff: Mr Mike Cruickshank (from 28.7.01 until 20.10.01), Senior Office Clerk (Band D1); Mr John Kittle (from 21.10.02), Senior Office Clerk (Band D1)

Specialist Advisers during the Session

None.
Witnesses
Oral evidence was given during the Session by the following categories of witnesses:
Number of appearances by:
Ministers other than Cabinet Ministers
1
Number of appearances by officials from, or representatives of:
Cabinet Office
5
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
3
Ministry of Defence
13
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
1
Department for Education and Skills
6
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
8
Department of Health
7
Home Office
4
Department for International Development
2
Lord Chancellor's Department
2
Department of Trade and Industry
1
Department for Transport
2
Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
2
HM Treasury
13
Department for Work and Pensions
4
executive agencies
5
comprising: Benefits Agency
1
Defence Procurement Agency
1
Radiocommunications Agency
1
Rural Payments Agency
2
public bodies and non-Ministerial departments
88
comprising: BBC
6
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
1
Centre for Management and Policy Studies
1
Charity Commission
2
HM Customs and Excise
12
Employment Service
2
Higher Education Funding Council for England
1
Inland Revenue
12
Legal Services Commission
1
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
1
Medical Research Council
1
The Millennium Commission
1
National Audit Office
17
National Probation Service for England and Wales
1
Natural Environment Research Council
1
National Lottery Commission
1
NHS Direct
1
NHS Litigation Authority
2
Office for National Statistics
2
Office of the e-Envoy
2
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets
1
Office of Government Commerce
9
Office of Science and Technology
1
Office of Telecommunications
1
Office of Water Services
1
Postal Services Commission
2
HM Prison Service
2
Royal Mint
1
Small Business Service
2
Members of Parliament
1
Appearances by other witnesses
30

Overseas Visits
None.

Visits to European Institutions
None.

UK Visits

Date
Destination
Members
Staff
Purpose
Cost
27-28.2.02Copthorne Millennium Hotel, Gatwick
10
3
Committee seminar
£3,832.15
13.6.02Kensington Palace
10
2
Inquiry into Maintaining the Royal Palaces
£156.20
25.6.02HM Treasury Building, 25 Great George St, London SW1
11
2
Inquiry into Treasury building PFI project with Exchequer Partnerships
£0.00

Reports and Minutes of Evidence

Title
HC No. (2001-02)
Date of publication
No. of pages
Sale price
Government reply
First Report: Managing Risk in Government Departments
336
23.11.01
37
£9.00
Cm 5393, published 14.2.02
Second Report: Improving Construction Performance
337
5.12.01
36
£9.00
Cm 5393, published 14.2.02
Third Report: The Cancellation of the Benefits Payment Card Project
358
6.12.01
40
£10.00
Cm 5393, published 14.2.02
Fourth Report: The Renegotiation of the PFI-Type Deal for the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds
359
12.12.01
56
£11.00
Cm 5450, published 12.12.01
Fifth Report: Ministry of Defence: Major Projects Report 2000
368
28.11.01
71
£12.00
Cm 5450, published 28.2.02
Sixth Report: Ministry of Defence: Major Projects Report 2000 - The Role of the Equipment Capability Customer
369
28.11.01
70
£12.00
Cm 5450, published 28.2.02
Seventh Report: Sale of Part of the UK Gold Reserves
396
19.12.01
49
£9.00
Cm 5470, published 14.3.02
Eighth Report: Office of Water Services (OFWAT): Leakage and Water Efficiency
397
4.1.02
41
£10.00
Cm 5470, published 14.3.02
Ninth Report: Tackling Obesity in England
421
16.1.02
52
£11.00
Cm 5477, published 20.3.02
Tenth Report: The Acquisition of German Parcel
422
11.1.02
29
£7.50
Cm 5477, published 20.3.02
Eleventh Report: Office of Gas and Electricity Markets: Giving Domestic Customers a Choice of Electricity Supplier
446
17.1.02
37
£9.00
Cm 5481, published 9.5.02
Twelfth Report: The Radiocommunications Agency's Joint Venture with CMG
447
23.1.02
26
£7.50
Cm 5470, published 14.3.02
Thirteenth Report: Regulating Housing Associations' Management of Financial Risk
470
9.1.02
29
£7.50
Cm 5470, published 14.3.02
Fourteenth Report: The Millennium Dome
516
1.2.02
86
£13.00
Cm 5487, published 25.4.02
Fifteenth Report: How English Further Education Colleges can Improve Student Performance
528
7.2.02
39
£10.00
Cm 5487, published 25.4.02
Sixteenth Report: Access to the Victoria and Albert Museum
559
14.2.02
31
£9.00
Cm 5487, published 25.4.02
Seventeenth Report: Ministry of Defence: Maximising the Benefits of Defence Equipment Co-operation
586
15.2.02
40
£10.00
Cm 5487, published 25.4.02
Eighteenth Report: Inland Flood Defence
587
1.3.02
36
£9.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Nineteenth Report: Ship Surveys and Inspections
608
15.3.02
50
£10.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Twentieth Report: Educating and Training the Future Health Professional Workforce for England
606
8.3.02
43
£10.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Twenty-First Report: Better Value for Money from Professional Services
309
14.3.02
34
£9.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Twenty-Second Report: The Channel Tunnel Rail Link
630
21.3.02
57
£11.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Twenty-Third Report: Report on Inland Revenue Appropriation Account 1999-2000
631
22.3.02
32
£9.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Twenty-Fourth Report: Ministry of Defence: The Risk of Fraud in Property Management
647
20.3.02
46
£10.00
Cm 5512, published 23.5.02
Twenty-Fifth Report: Excess Votes 2000-2001
648
7.3.02
11
£4.50
Not applicable
Twenty-Sixth Report: Better Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments
682
12.4.02
42
£10.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Twenty-Seventh Report: The Medical Assessment of Incapacity and Disability Benefits
683
10.4.02
42
£10.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Twenty-Eighth Report: Better Public Services through Joint Working
471
18.4.02
39
£9.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Twenty-Ninth Report: Non-competitive Procurement in the Ministry of Defence
370
19.4.02
36
£9.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Thirtieth Report: The Auction of Radio Spectrum for the Third Generation of Mobile Telephones
436
26.4.02
34
£9.00
Cm 5524, published 20.6.02
Thirty-First Report: Postcomm: Opening the Post
632
1.5.02
81
£13.00
Cm 5549, published 16.7.02
Thirty-Second Report: The Implementation of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy
357
3.5.02
37
£9.00
Cm 5549, published 16.7.02
Thirty-Third Report: Income Tax Self Assessment
296
9.5.02
58
£11.00
Cm 5549, published 16.7.02
Thirty-Fourth Report: Policy Development: Improving Air Quality
560
24.5.02
33
£9.00
Cm 5549, published 16.7.02
Thirty-Fifth Report: Losses to the Revenue from Frauds on Alcohol Duty
331
17.5.02
36
£9.00
Cm 5549, published 16.7.02
Thirty-Sixth Report: Progress on Resource Accounting
349
19.6.02
126
£14.50
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Thirty-Seventh Report: Handling Clinical Negligence Claims in England
280
13.6.02
45
£10.00
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Thirty-Eighth Report: NIRS 2: Contract extension
423
7.8.02
41
£10.00
Cm 5612, published 17.10.02
Thirty-Ninth Report: Giving Confidently: The role of the Charity Commission in Regulating Charities
412
3.7.02
43
£10.00
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Fortieth Report: NHS Direct in England
610
10.7.02
32
£7.50
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Forty-First Report: Ministry of Defence: Major Projects Report 2001
448
4.7.02
37
£9.00
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Forty-Second Report: Managing the relationship to secure a successful partnership in PFI Projects
460
11.7.02
42
£10.00
Cm 5600, published 3.10.02
Forty-Third Report: The use of funding competitions in PFI projects: the Treasury building
398
17.7.02
38
£9.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Forty-Fourth Report: The misuse and smuggling of hydrocarbon oils
649
18.7.02
48
£11.00
Cm 5612, published 17.10.02
Forty-Fifth Report: Inpatient and outpatient waiting in the NHS
376
18.9.02
45
£10.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Forty-Sixth Report: Inappropriate adjustments to NHS waiting lists
517
18.9.02
52
£11.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Forty-Seventh Report: The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
338
25.7.02
50
£11.00
Cm 5612, published 17.10.02
Forty-Eighth Report: Department for International Development: Performance Management - Helping to reduce world poverty
793
1.8.02
45
£10.00
Cm 5612, published 17.10.02
Forty-Ninth Report: Ensuring that policies deliver value for money
541
31.7.02
41
£10.00
Cm 5612, published 17.10.02
Fiftieth Report: Pipes and wires
831
8.8.02
42
£10.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-First Report: Agricultural fraud: the case of Joseph Bowden
684
22.8.02
57
£11.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-Second Report: e-Revenue
707
29.8.02
44
£10.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-Third Report: Reducing prisoner reoffending
619
5.9.02
50
£11.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Fifty-Fourth Report: Improving public services through e-Government
845
28.8.02
39
£9.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-Fifth Report: Fraud and error in income support
595
11.9.02
46
£10.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Fifty-Sixth Report: Ministry of Defence: Combat Identification
759
21.8.02
35
£9.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-Seventh Report: The operation and wind-up of Teesside Development Corporation
675
14.8.02
54
£11.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Fifty-Eighth Report: Improving student achievement and widening participation in higher education in England
588
12.9.02
78
£13.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Fifty-Ninth Report: Delivering the commercialisation of public sector science
689
15.8.02
43
£10.00
Cm 5636, published 31.10.02
Sixtieth Report: Royal travel by air and rail
529
4.9.02
49
£11.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Sixty-First Report: The management of surplus property by Trusts in the NHS in England
765
19.9.02
47
£10.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Sixty-Second Report: The New Deal for Young People
700
9.10.02
45
£10.00
Cm 5676, published 28.11.02
Sixty-Third Report: Construction of Portcullis House, the new Parliamentary building
861
24.7.02
39
£9.00
House of Commons Commission Report, published 30.10.02
Sixty-Fourth Report: Airwave
783
28.11.02
51
£11.00
Awaited
Sixty-Fifth Report: Awarding the new licence to run the National Lottery
881
6.12.02
38
£9.00
Awaited
Sixty-Sixth Report: Progress in achieving Government on the Web
936
13.12.02
40
£9.00
Awaited
Sixty-Seventh Report: Inland Revenue: Tax Credits
866
5.12.02
43
£10.00
Awaited
Sixty-Eighth Report: Collection of fines and other financial penalties in the criminal justice system
999
27.11.02
45
£12.00
Awaited
Minutes of Evidence: The Governments response to the Sharman Report
701-i
21.10.02
6
£3.00
Not applicable
Minutes of Evidence: National Audit Office Supply Estimate 2002-03
690-i
29.10.02
10
£0.00
Not applicable

Government replies to Reports for Session 2000-01

Reply to the Committee's -

Sixth Report: Review of Audit and Accountability for Central Government, published as Cm 5201 (18.7.02).

Eighth Report: Maintaining the Royal Palaces, published as Cm 5201 (18.7.02).

Ninth Report: Managing Finances in English Further Education Colleges, published as Cm 5201 (18.7.02).

Tenth Report: Parole, published as Cm 5201 (18.7.02).

Twelfth Report: English Heritage: Access to Properties, published as Cm 5201 (18.7.02).

Eleventh Report: The Housing Corporation: Overseeing Focus Housing Associations, published as Cm 5261 (3.10.02).

Thirteenth Report: The refinancing of the Fazakerely PFI Prison Contract, published as Cm 5261 (3.10.02).

Fourteenth Report: Ministry of Defence: Managing reductions in the number of vacant family quarters, published as Cm 5261 (3.10.02).

Fifteenth Report: Strategic Rail Authority: Action to improve passenger rail services, published as Cm 5261 (3.10.02).

Sixteenth Report: The National Blood Service, published as Cm 5261 (3.10.02).

Minutes of Proceedings

The Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee for Session 2000-01 were published on 11.5.01 as HC 498, Session 2000-01. The Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee for Session 2001-02 will be published as HC 1331, Session 2001-02.

Divisions

None.

Debates

The following Reports were the subject of a debate in the House:

Thirty-Ninth Report, Session 1999-2000, HM Customs and Excise: Revenue from Gambling Duties, Thirty-Eighth Report, Session 1999-2000, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: The Sheep Annual Premium Scheme, Fortieth Report, Session 1999-2000, National Savings: Public-Private Partnership with Siemens Business Services, Forty-First Report, Session 1999-2000, The Gaming Board: Better Regulation, Forty-Second Report, Session 1999-2000, The Management and Control of Hospital Acquired Infection in Acute NHS Trusts in England, Forty-Third Report, Session 1999-2000, Hip Replacements: Getting it Right First Time, Forty-Fourth Report, Session 1999-2000, Ministry of Defence: Accepting Equipment Off-Contract and into Service, Forty-Fifth Report, Session 1999-2000, Ministry of Defence: Acceptance of the Chinook Mk 2 Helicopter, Forty-Sixth Report, Session 1999-2000, Ministry of Defence: Kosovo - The Financial Management of Military Operations, Forty-Seventh Report, Session 1999-2000, The National Health Service Executive - Valedictory Hearing: Sir Alan Langlands, First Report, Session 2000-01, Inpatient Administration, Bed Management and Patient Discharge in NHS Acute Hospitals, Second Report, Session 2000-01, Public Trust Office: Unclaimed Balances Held in Funds in Cours and the Office's 1998-99 Accounts, Third Report, Session 2000-01, Emergency Aid: The Kosovo Crisis, Fourth Report, Session 2000-01, Grants made by the National Lottery Charities Board, Fifth Report, Session 2000-01, The Draft Social Security (Inherited SERPS) Regulations 2001, Sixth Report, Session 2000-01, Review of Audit and Accountability for Central Government, Seventh Report, Session 2000-01, Excess Votes 1999-2000: Class X, Votes 2 and 3, Eighth Report, Session 2000-01, Maintaining the Royal Palaces, Ninth Report, Session 2000-01, Managing Finances in English Further Education Colleges, Tenth Report, Session 2000-01, Parole, Eleventh Report, Session 2000-01, The Housing Corporation: Overseeing Focus Housing Association, Twelfth Report, Session 2000-01, English Heritage: Access to Properties, Thirteenth Report, Session 2001-02, The Refinancing of Fazakerley PFI Prison Contract, Fourteenth Report, Session 2001-02, Ministry of Defence: Managing Reductions in the Number of Vacant Family Quarters, Fifteenth Report, Session 2001-02, Strategic Rail Authority: Action to Improve Passenger Rail Services, Sixteenth Report, Session 2001-02, The National Blood Service and Second Report, Session 2000-01, Public Trust Office: Unclaimed Balances Held in Funds in Court and the Office's 1998-99 Accounts, and of the Treasury Minutes on these Reports (Cm 5021, 5071, 5078, 5127, 5201 and 5261): Motion to take note, 24.1.02

Oral Evidence

Oral Evidence was taken at 56 of the Committee's 58 Meetings. On 5 occasions evidence was taken partly or wholly in private.

Inquiry
Number of oral evidence sessions
Agricultural fraud: The case of Joseph Bowden
1
Audit of the Inland Revenue under Section 2 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921 (HC 335-XVI)
1
Awarding the New Licence to run the National Lottery
1
Better Public Services Through e-Government
1
Better Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments
1
Better Value for Money from Professional Services
1
Collecting the Television Licence Fee
1
Collection of Fines and other Financial Penalties in the Criminal Justice System
1
Construction of Portcullis House, the new Parliamentary building
1
Customs and Excise Standard Report 2000-01: Tobacco smuggling
2
Dealing with Pollution from Ships
1
Delivering the commercialisation of public sector science
1
Department for International Development: Performance management - Helping to reduce world poverty
1
DSS Resource Account 2000-01 (Fraud and error in Income Support)
1
e-Revenue
1
Giving Confidently: The role of the Charity Commission in regulating charities
1
Government on the Web II
1
Handling clinical negligence claims in England
1
Helping victims and witnesses: the work of Victim Support
1
Improving student achievement and widening participation in higher education in England
2
Inappropriate adjustments to NHS waiting lists
1
Income Tax Self Assessment
1
Individual Learning Accounts
1
Innovation in PFI financing: The Treasury Building Project
1
Inpatient and outpatient waiting in the NHS
1
Joining up to improve public services
1
Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
1
Losses to the Revenue from Frauds on Alcohol Duty
1
Managing the relationship to secure a successful partnership in PFI projects
1
Ministry of Defence: Combat identification
1
Ministry of Defence: Exercise Saif Sareea II
1
Ministry of Defence: Major Projects Report 2001
1
Ministry of Defence: Redevelopment of MoD Main Building
1
Modern policy-making: ensuring policies deliver value for money
1
National Audit Office Supply Estimate 2002-03
1
NHS Direct in England
1
NIRS 2: Contract extension
1
Non-competitive Procurement in the Ministry of Defence
1
Office for National Statistics: Outsourcing the 2001 Census
1
Pipes and Wires: Regulating Prices and Quality of Networks Delivering Essential Services
1
Policy Development: Improving Air Quality
1
Postcomm: Opening the Post
2
Progress on Resource Accounting
1
Public Private Partnerships: Airwave
1
Reducing prisoner reoffending
1
Royal Mint Trading Fund: 2001-02 Accounts
1
Royal travel by air and rail
1
The 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease
1
The Auction of Radio Spectrum for the Third Generation of Mobile Telephones
1
The Government's response to Lord Sharman's Report, 'Holding to Account: Audit and Accountability in central Government'
1
The Implementation of the National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy
1
The misuse and smuggling of hydrocarbon oils
1
The New Deal for Young People
1
The operation and wind-up of Teesside Development Corporation
1
Winding-up The New Millennium Experience Company
1
Total
58*

* On two occasions, two oral evidence sessions were taken at one meeting of the Committee.



 
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