§ 39. Mr. David HeathTo ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what discussions he has had with the Comptroller and Auditor General concerning the audit of housing associations. [46355]
§ Mr. SheldonI meet regularly with the Comptroller and Auditor General to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the work of the National Audit Office. The Comptroller and Auditor General does not have the power to provide systematic assurance to Parliament that some £1.2 billion of public money spent annually by the social housing sector has been spent with due regard for issues of regularity, propriety, and value for money.
55WThe fact that the National Audit Office has no rights of access to the records of housing associations represents a serious gap in accountability for public funds. One straightforward solution would be to require the Comptroller and Auditor General's access to be a condition of all grants to voluntary housing bodies.