§ Mr. PicklesTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total expenditure of the Audit Commission was in each year since 1997 and its forecast budget for the coming year. [84907]
§ Mr. LeslieThe information requested on total expenditure by the Audit Commission for each year since 1997 can be found in the following table.
Year ending £ million 31 March 19971 93.4 31 October 1998 105.7 31 October 1999 111.6 31 October 2000 144.1 31 October 2001 178.8 31 October 20022 212 31 October 20033 207 Note:
The Audit Commission's financial year, which in earlier years ran from 1 April to 31 March, was amended to run from 1 November to 31 October with effect from 1 November 1997. The year ending 31 March 1997 was therefore the last complete financial year before the change was made.
The period coincided with the Commission taking on a number of new responsibilities, including those derived from the Local Government Act 1999 on local authority performance. This included the auditing of best value performance plans and the setting up of the best value inspection service. More recently, the Commission has taken the lead role in developing a comprehensive performance assessment process, the results of which are expected shortly. In 2000, the Commission also took on new responsibilities with regard to the National Health Service, involving the review of NHS performance at national as well as local levels.