Continuous Improvement Arrangements in the Northern Ireland Policing Board
Section 28 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way its functions, and those of the PSNI Chief Constable, are exercised, having regard to economy efficiency and effectiveness. The Board is required to prepare and publish a performance plan for each financial year, detailing how the continuous improvement arrangements are to be implemented. It also needs to prepare and publish a performance summary. The Comptroller and Auditor General is required to audit the performance plan and summary and to send a report to the Board, the Chief Constable and the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland.
Our report will:- examine whether the Policing Board has prepared and published a performance plan and a performance summary in accordance with the Act;
- examine whether the Policing Board has established arrangements for delivering continuous improvement;
- put forward recommendations for further improvement
This will be the second report published by the Northern Ireland Comptroller and Auditor General following the devolution of Policing and Justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly in April 2010.
We aim to publish this report in early 2012.
Contact:
Tel: (028) 9025 4345
Billy Fitzsimons (Audit Manager)
Tel: (028) 9025 1092
Review of the Efficiency Delivery programme
As part of the 2008-11 Budget process the Northern Ireland Executive agreed that departments should work to deliver cumulative efficiency savings of 3% a year over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. In July 2011 departments reported that £1,600 million of resource releasing efficiency savings had been achieved against a target of £1,605 million (99.7% of the cumulative 3 year target).
Our review examines a sample of 42 efficiency projects drawn from the four largest spending departments (DE, DEL, DRD and DHSSPS). We have considered the extent to which these projects have complied with the common criteria identified in the extensive guidance available. Efficiency projects should:
- Reduce the number of inputs – (for example expenditure), while maintaining the same level of service provision;
- Be quality neutral – the quality of service should not deteriorate and priority front-line services should not be adversely affected;
- Be net of costs – efficiency savings should be net of all upfront and investment costs;
- Not transfer costs to others – efficiencies savings should not include costs passed onto other parts of the public sector or to service users; and
- Be sustainable – efficiencies must be sustainable and not the result of shifting expenditure from one year to another.
Our review will also make recommendations on the management and measurement of future efficiency initiatives. These are likely to remain a key feature of the public expenditure agenda particularly as public expenditure is now falling in real terms.
We aim to publish this report in Spring 2012.
Tel: (028) 9025 1011
Jacqueline O’Brien (Audit Manager)
Tel: (028) 9025 1056
Invest NI: a performance review
Since its formation in April 2002 to March 2011, Invest NI has spent almost £1.5 billion. Invest estimates that this has resulted in the promotion of 35,600 new jobs, the safeguarding of 17,000 jobs and investment of £5.5 billion in the local economy. Our study reviewed Invest’s performance against its Corporate and Operating Plan targets. We also examined other key aspects of performance including the efficiency and effectiveness of Invest’s main assistance programmes, the numbers of promoted jobs which were actually created, as well as the quality of these.
To complement the review of performance against Invest’s own targets, we undertook a benchmarking exercise. This compared Invest with other economic development agencies in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. We also reviewed Invest’s progress in implementing its major change management programme – Transform - and the extent to which this addresses the recommendations of the Independent Review of Economic Policy (IREP) (the Barnett Review).
We aim to publish this report in early 2012.
Tel: (028) 9025 4345
Alan Orme (Audit Manager)
Tel: (028) 9025 1136