Work in 2017
12. The Commission held two formal meetings during 2017: on 21 March and 12 December. Formal minutes of these meetings are reproduced in Annex A. Annex B lists the supporting documentation that is available from the Parliament website. Oral evidence from witnesses was taken in public at both meetings. Its hearings are also webcast via a link on the Parliament website.
13. Ten Parliamentary Questions were tabled to the Chair of the Public Accounts Commission during 2017. Six of these were answered orally; four in writing.
14. In March the Commission considered the NAO’s Estimate for 2017/18 which sought approval for a net cash requirement of £67, 174, 000. The Commission received observations from HM Treasury. The Treasury suggested the Commission might like to seek assurances on the readiness of the NAO to take on its new audit responsibilities toward the BBC and assurances about the progress of the NAO’s IT transformation, including the implementation of new cloud-based programmes. Oral evidence was taken from the Comptroller and Auditor General (Sir Amyas Morse), the Chairman of the NAO (Lord Bichard) and its Chief Operating Officer (Mr Michael Whitehouse). The Commission agreed to provide the Estimate requested by the NAO.
15. At the meeting on 12 December the Commission considered the NAO’s Strategy for 2018/19 to 2020/21. The Commission also received written observations from HM Treasury. Evidence was again taken from the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Chairman of the NAO and its Chief Operating Officer. The Commission also received written observations from HM Treasury. Areas that were considered in detail during questioning included: concern over the NAO seeking additional contingency funding of 2%; improving staff confidence in the NAO’s new IT systems; the costings for IT security; areas for further efficiency savings and possible alternative locations for the NAO’s headquarters. The Commission approved the Strategy without modification.
16. The Commission also agreed to lay before the House of Commons the annual value for money (VfM) report on the NAO by its auditors, Crowe Clark Whitehill. The 2017 report was entitled Value for Money study - Delivery of benefits from the NAO’s IT-enabled change programme.1
1 Value for Money study - Delivery of benefits from the NAO’s IT-enabled change programme, HC 584
Published: 26 March 2018