Improving the Accounting Officer Assessment Process

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Jun 2022 Closed: 24 Feb 2023 Parliament page
Accounting Officers are the most senior permanent official in a department - the permanent secretary, or the chief executive of a Government agency, who are personally accountable to Parliament for the use of public money in delivering Government policy, projects and programmes. It is most usually the Accounting Officer that … Read more
11 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
11 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 15 events
24 Feb
2023
Report published
12 Jan
2023
Correspondence
6 Dec
2022
Correspondence
6 Dec
2022
Correspondence
6 Dec
2022
Correspondence
5 Dec
2022
Correspondence
5 Dec
2022
Correspondence
30 Nov
2022
Report published
30 Nov
2022
Correspondence
22 Nov
2022
Correspondence
22 Nov
2022
Correspondence
22 Nov
2022
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
18 Jul 2022
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Improving the Accounting Officer Assessment Process
Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office Cat Little · Cabinet Office Nick Smallwood · Infrastructure and Projects Authority Sir Tom Scholar · HM Treasury
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-Eighth Report - Improving the Accounting Officer Assessme… HC 43 30 Nov 2022 19 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
2 results
Clear
8 Conclusion Acknowledged
Twenty-Eighth Report - Improving t…
The quality of published summary AO assessments varied.20 For example, departments generally provided basic information...
The quality of published summary AO assessments varied.20 For example, departments generally provided basic information such as background on the programme. But they did not provide more detailed information to help a layperson understand, for example, a programme’s aims. And … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's recommendation and outlines existing measures such as the senior finance function sign-off, treasury spending teams engagement, Government Finance Academy training, Finance Directors forum, and Accounting Officer Responsibilities Round table to support AO assessments.
HM Treasury
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11 Conclusion Acknowledged
Twenty-Eighth Report - Improving t…
The lack of summary AO assessments being published remains a real concern.31 HM Treasury said...
The lack of summary AO assessments being published remains a real concern.31 HM Treasury said that there can be practical reasons why summary AO assessments take longer to publish – for example, because the department concerned is in the middle … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's recommendation and outlines existing measures such as the senior finance function sign-off, treasury spending teams engagement, Government Finance Academy training, Finance Directors forum, and Accounting Officer Responsibilities Round table to support AO assessments.
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 19 of 11 classified
Accepted 16
Acknowledged 2
Not Addressed 1
Total 11 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 11 letters
12 Jan 2023 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, re Cabinet Office Accounting Officer assessments – IT related, dated 15 December 2022
Parliament page
6 Dec 2022 Correspondence from Sarah Healey, Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, re DCMS Accounting Officer Assessments, dated 1 December 2022
Parliament page
6 Dec 2022 From committee Correspondence from Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, re Accounting Officer Assessments: Permanent Secretary Letter to PAC Chair, 29 November 2022
Parliament page
6 Dec 2022 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, re Response to commercial / procurement related queries regarding Cabinet Office Accounting Officer Assessments, dated 28 November 2022
Parliament page
5 Dec 2022 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, re Response to pensions related queries regarding Cabinet Office Accounting Officer Assessments, dated 28 November 2022
Parliament page
5 Dec 2022 Correspondence from Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, re MoJ Accounting Officer Assessments, dated 25 November 2022
Parliament page
30 Nov 2022 Correspondence to HM Treasury, dated 30 November 2022, relating to the Committee's report Improving the Accounting Officer Assessment process
Parliament page
22 Nov 2022 Correspondence from Dame Meg Hillier, Chair, Committee on Public Accounts to Alex Chisholm Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service, Cabinet Office, re Cabinet Office Accounting Officer Assessments – Pensions related, dated 15 November 2022
Parliament page
22 Nov 2022 Correspondence from Dame Meg Hillier, Chair, Committee on Public Accounts to Alex Chisholm Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service, Cabinet Office, re Cabinet Office Accounting Officer Assessments – Commercial/Procurement related, dated 15 November 2022
Parliament page
22 Nov 2022 Correspondence from Dame Meg Hillier, Chair, Committee on Public Accounts to Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re Accounting Officer Assessments published in September 2022, dated 15 November 2022
Parliament page
22 Nov 2022 Correspondence from Dame Meg Hillier, Chair, Committee on Public Accounts to Antonia Romeo Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, re Ministry of Justice - Accounting Officer Assessments, dated 15 November 2022
Parliament page