§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many files marked "Not for National Audit Office Eyes" are currently held by his Department. [24861]
§ Mr. BurtThere are 20 live master files in this Department marked "Not to be seen by National Audit Office (NAO) without reference to the appropriate Head of Division", sometimes abbreviated to "Not for NAO eyes". Each file usually relates to a specific NAO study and may run into number of volumes, covering the course of the study from feasibility work to the production of a Treasury minute. Each study could involve a number of divisions in different locations, who may hold duplicates of all or part of the master file, as necessary.
The marking "Not for NAO eyes" is used in accordance with an agreement between the Treasury and National Audit Office, under which documents relating to the handling of relations between Departments and the NAO and Public Accounts Committee are not automatically available to the NAO while they are current.