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Office of Communications Section 400 (licence fees and penalties) account
Full report: Office of Communications Section 400 (licence fees and penalties) account
The head of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse, recently reported to Parliament the results of his examination of the Section 400 Licence Fees and Penalties account which is prepared by the Office of Communications. The 2012-13 account includes the proceeds of the recent auction of 4G Spectrum, and yesterday’s NAO report provides assurance to Parliament over the regularity and propriety of the auction transactions, and the adequacy of the governance processes Ofcom developed to support the auction.
Ofcom’s objectives for the auction included the maximisation of consumer benefits, a universal coverage objective for at least one operator, and securing a fourth national competitor for the UK mobile phone market. Ofcom was set no objective to maximise the receipts from the auction. Ofcom set a reserve price of £1,360 million and the auction receipts totalled £2,368 million.
Given the level of public and Parliamentary interest in the auction, Mr Morse is currently considering what further work he needs to undertake on the auction process and its outcomes.
July 2013
Notes for Editors
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of publication on the NAO website, which is at www.nao.org.uk. Hard copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474.
- The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending for Parliament and is independent of government. The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Amyas Morse, is an Officer of the House of Commons and leads the NAO, which employs some 867 staff. The C&AG certifies the accounts of all government departments and many other public sector bodies. He has statutory authority to examine and report to Parliament on whether departments and the bodies they fund have used their resources efficiently, effectively, and with economy. Our studies evaluate the value for money of public spending, nationally and locally. Our recommendations and reports on good practice help government improve public services, and our work led to audited savings of almost £1.2 billion in 2012.
