The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to make a 25% reduction in Housing Benefit fraud in the period from April 2003 to 2006. The latest report from the National Audit Office reveals that attempts have so far failed to produce an estimate of how much fraud is taking place. The NAO questions the ability of the Department to meet its target.Estimates of the level of Benefit Fraud have a chequered history. In 1997 it was put at 900m pounds. In 2001 the estimate was 1.3 billion pounds or 8.4 percent of expenditure. As new figures emerged they carried a warning from the Government Statistical Office that it is not possible to place the same reliance on figures of fraud as it is on the size of hospital waiting lists. Benefit fraud figures have so far relied on sampling which is not a precise science. It is claimed that the measure now being developed by the Department will provide a reliable estimate of fraud.

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The NHS has decided that it lacks the management capacity to deliver its National Programme for IT. Last month it announced that the core of a Programme team was in place. Expenditure on the programme will amount to 700m pounds in 2004/05 and 1.2bn pounds in the following year. Advance notice of the systems procurement was issued in December 2002 and the procurement was formally advertised last month.An advert for managers to assist in the implementation of the programme has just been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. It asks for a Chief Operating Officer and director level managers as well as for staff to operate a programme office. The expertise it is seeking includes project planning, risk analysis and management, cost modelling, contracting and procurement and implementation management. A prime requirement for the new recruits is ability to work with NHS staff and this means that although the advert was published in all EU countries, a high standard of English will be required from the successful applicants.

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This Briefing for Councillors gives an update on progress since publication of the Audit Commission report published in July 2002. It argues that E-government can help to improve services in the ways that people want and expect. The success of this vision is based on a partnership between central and local government and so it is critical that councillors play their part. The Commission found that for some councils e-government is working well. These ‘early succeeder ‘ councils have set out a practical vision of how technology can help to deliver, and improve, local priorities. But not all councils have made as much progress. The Commission found that councils have different levels of confidence in their approach to e-government and their ability to deliver. Many are hesitant and for them e-government still feels marginal to the delivery of core services. Members of ‘hesitant ‘ councils are less engaged, and central government targets rather than local needs are shaping their agendas.Published by the Audit Commission http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/AC-REPORT.asp?CatID=ENGLISH^ LG^SUBJECT^LG-CROSS-CUT&ProdID=F640DD3E-F3B5-4CA7-99CC-1C9B52A70944

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