In this section: Hold them to account
When it goes wrong
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
The official record of where public money goes wrong: in March 2026 the government’s own assessors rated 24 of 189 major projects red, the lowest of its three ratings; the Public Sector Fraud Authority estimates fraud and error in government at £51.3bn to £81.0bn a year (2022/23); departments disclose their losses and special payments in their accounts; IPSA publishes every MP’s costs; and departments publish every contract they award. Each figure here is the publisher’s own.
Key figures
- 24Major projects rated red up on a year earlier: +4 (+20.0%) vs March 2025
- £51.3bn to £81.0bnEstimated fraud and error in government £39.8bn to £58.5bn in 2021/22
- £98,599An MP’s basic salary from April 2026 up on a year earlier: +£4,695 (+5.0%) vs April 2025
- £289.01bnContract awards published by departments £46.97bn in 2024-25; one framework notice can dominate a year
What is the short version?
- The ratings are the government’s own: red, amber and green are its assessors’ delivery confidence ratings, not this site’s verdict.
- Fraud and error is an estimate, published as a range, because most of it is never detected; £1.7bn was detected and reported in 2023/24.
- Write-offs are not added up or ranked: departments count cases differently and report for different boundaries.
- An MP’s office costs are not their pay: £275,197 on average in 2024-25 for MPs who served the whole year, most of it staff salaries.
- Contract values are what the notices state, not money paid; a framework notice can be the most that might ever be spent under it.
What does the latest record show?
- Red 30% 24 of 81
- Amber 63% 51 of 81
- Green 7.4% 6 of 81
Shares of the 81 projects with an independent rating, out of 189 in the portfolio. Red is the lowest of the three ratings.
Show as a table
| Item | Share | Detail |
|---|---|---|
RedDetails for Red | 29.6% | 24 of 81 |
| ||
AmberDetails for Amber | 63.0% | 51 of 81 |
| ||
GreenDetails for Green | 7.4% | 6 of 81 |
| ||
What is in this part of the site?
- Major projectsHow the government rates its own biggest projects, and what they are expected to cost.
- Fraud, error and write-offsEstimates of fraud and error, and the losses and special payments departments disclose.
- MPs’ pay and expensesWhat each MP’s office costs, by heading, with a postcode lookup.
- Government contractsContracts awarded by departments, by department and supplier.
What has the National Audit Office reported lately?
The NAO’s latest value-for-money reports, each linked to its findings in full. Titles are the NAO’s own.
- Upgrading the electricity transmission network Value for money report
- Managing the flow of patients through hospital from A&E Value for money report
- Resilience of the food supply chain to disruptions Value for money report
- Increasing construction skills Value for money report
- Electronic monitoring: improving resilience to meet increasing demand Value for money report
- Devolution in England: funding and accountability Value for money report
- High Speed Two reset Value for money report
- The repurchase of the service family accommodation estate Value for money report
- HMRC’s use of travel data to tackle fraud and error in Child Benefit payments Value for money report
- The Government Finance Function’s strategy to 2030 Value for money report
- Investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council Value for money report
- Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster: 2026 Update Value for money report
Source: National Audit Office, Reports, latest reports.
What has the Public Accounts Committee reported lately?
The Commons committee that examines the NAO’s reports and questions officials on them. Its latest reports:
- 15th Report - Government's intervention in British Steel Ltd HC HC 101, 2026-27
- 13th Report - Regulation of water, energy and broadband HC HC 105, 2026-27
- 12th Report - Government compensation schemes HC HC 88, 2026-27
- 11th Report - Unlocking land for housing HC HC 87, 2026-27
- 10th Report - Government shared services HC HC 85, 2026-27
- 9th Report - Large business tax compliance HC HC 86, 2026-27
- 8th Report - Northern Powerhouse Rail HC HC 97, 2026-27
- 7th Report - Financial resilience of government-sponsored museums and galleries HC HC 96, 2026-27
- 6th Report - The Access to Work scheme HC HC 92, 2026-27
- 4th Report - Regulating for growth HC HC 93, 2026-27
- 5th Report - MoD follow-up Spring 2026 HC HC 95, 2026-27
- 1st Report - An analysis of the asylum system HC HC 89, 2026-27
Source: Public Accounts Committee, House of Commons, Committee reports, latest reports.
How are these figures chosen?
Only published figures from the body responsible for them: the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and its successor for project ratings, each department’s accounts for its losses, the Public Sector Fraud Authority, DWP and HMRC for fraud and error, IPSA for MPs, and departments’ own award notices for contracts. Where this site adds anything, such as a total or an average, the page says so. It does not describe any project, department or person in its own words. How each figure is worked out is on the methodology page.