With the end of 2017 fast approaching, we asked the UK's top civil servants to look back at the year, outline their goals for 2018 – and tell us what they cannot do Christmas with
What are you most proud of achieving in 2017?
I am always immensely proud of the NAO’s work, but feel that in 2017 we responded to issues that matter to parliament intelligently by using the variety of reporting options we have available to us. Our reports on Hinkley Point C and homelessness demonstrated how we can explore broad and complex issues with great success. Where issues emerge, our investigations have provided much needed clarity by setting out the facts, such as our work on the WannaCry cyberattack on the NHS.
Our briefings to parliament on exiting the European Union have been an important way to provide transparency on this matter of national interest (see our EU related work).
I am also proud of the way our financial audit teams have worked with bodies such as the Department for Education to help improve the quality and timeliness of financial reporting to government – I know that the department worked very hard to make improvements and having this shared goal led to great progress.
What was your most difficult decision in 2017?
The June election meant that the NAO couldn’t publish some reports when we had planned and created a more challenging timeframe in which to certify accounts. Like the rest of government, we needed to reconsider our work in light of the implications of the decision to leave the European Union, and not just proceed on a “business as usual” basis. I had to reprioritise our work and use of resources in light of the new context and new risks facing the public sector.
What are your organisation’s top priorities in the year ahead?
As a country we are involved in complex negotiations to leave the EU which could lead to a range of different outcomes, posing different implementation challenges, and the NAO needs to remain highly flexible and fast-moving so our insight is available on a timely basis.
Alongside our primary responsibility toward parliament, we are committed to driving improvement in the public sector. We will continue discussions with those we audit about how our work can and does deliver value against the issues that matter.
For you, no Christmas holiday is complete without...
Running a sweep on how soon my uncle will go to sleep after lunch.