02 November 2001
Otherwise, warns auditor general Sir John Bourn in a report published on November 1, policies 'will not meet users' expectations and may have unintended impacts'.
The NAO report, Modern policy-making: ensuring policies deliver value for money, urges government departments to research thoroughly whether a policy is really needed; to ensure they understand problems; assess how policies are likely to work in practice; and evaluate risks to performance and delivery.
The report adds: 'This includes estimating the likely cost of policies, opportunities to shape policies so that certain groups are not unintentionally excluded, and determine whether policies are likely to represent value for money.'
PFnov2001
