Programme of performance audits for 2012/13 published

Over the summer, we consulted on proposals for our rolling programme of national performance audits. The proposals included a mix of different sizes of projects ranging from smaller audits focusing on single issues, to larger cross-cutting audits, focusing on the delivery of major services by partners in different parts of the public sector.

Over 60 organisations from central and local government, the health sector and other audit agencies responded, and we would like to thank everyone who contributed.

Overall, there was strong support for the proposed topics. Most of the comments focused on the scope and timing of proposed performance audits rather than raising any challenge to their relevance or value.

Respondents also strongly supported the five strategic themes that underpin our performance audit work.

Based on the comments we received, we have made a number of changes to the 2012/13 programme . We have removed the audits on community safety/crime prevention and the Scotland rural development fund from the rolling programme, and brought forward an audit on outsourced contracts to start in 2012.

We also plan to start work on the General Practitioner (GP) prescribing audit later than originally planned, in May 2012, when new data becomes available.