Ministry of Justice Financial Management

HC 1778, Seventy-fifth Report of Session 2010-12 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £10.00

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The Ministry of Justice has improved its financial management since the Committee's last report in January 2011 (see below). But according to the report 'Ministry of Justice Financial Management (HC 1778)' the Ministry has not achieved significant improvements in the delivery of key financial outcomes, and therefore still has much to do.

The most serious issue is the Ministry's inability to report its financial affairs on a timely and accurate basis. The Ministry's own resource accounts for 2010-11 were delivered late and there were significant problems with the accounts produced by two of its major arm's length bodies, the Legal Services Commission and HM Courts Service's Trust Statement.

The Ministry faces significant accounting challenges for the financial year 2011-12, due to the required earlier publication of the accounts. The Ministry needs to break the cycle of continuing failure to produce accurate and timely accounts.

There are also considerable challenges in meeting its tough spending review commitments, but without a full understanding of its costs, the Ministry risks unnecessarily cutting frontline services which are critical to the poorest in the community, rather than ensuring savings are achieved through genuine efficiencies.

Excellent financial management is critical to the Ministry's future success as it seeks to achieve significant efficiency gains while coping with workload pressures, such as increases in the prison population, which are largely beyond its control.

Extent	37 pages	ISBN	9780215043351
Size	A4	Price	£10.00
Format	Paperback	Published	20 Mar 2012
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges