Arms Length Bodies: Whitehall
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the financial oversight delivered by (a) arms-length bodies and (b) non-Governmental bodies across Whitehall.
Answered by Darren Jones
Managing Public Money guidance sets out the responsibilities of accounting officers in departments and in ALBs regarding the stewardship of public funds, including the requirement for public bodies and their sponsor departments to have an appropriate framework document (or equivalent) in place to provide certainty about their relationship and governance arrangements. The framework document agreed between an ALB and its sponsor department should provide for the sponsor department to exercise meaningful oversight of the ALB's strategy and performance, pay, and/or major financial transactions.
Additionally, supported by the National Audit Office (NAO), the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) independently scrutinises public funds, including providing Parliament with financial audit of the accounts of both departments and ALBs.
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