Summary
We have considered the second annual report published
by the ODPM since its inception in May 2002. During the year the
ODPM underwent further changes in the departmental structure and
in the number of strategic priorities. We are concerned that this
has led to inconsistent management and a lack of focus on projects.
We welcome much of the ODPM Annual Report 2004. However,
it does highlight some areas where progress on projects is still
to be made.
We commented adversely on the clarity of the presentation
of information in last year's departmental report; we are pleased
to see this is much improved this year. However, it continues
to be a difficult document to read and we once more make recommendations
on structure and layout. The ODPM did not wholly follow guidance
set out by the HM Treasury on the reporting of targets within
departmental annual reports,[1]
and we believe that the Report would have been markedly better
had this been done.
1 HM Treasury: Public Expenditure System (2003) 24,
28 November 2003 Back
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