In its final review of the quality of the data systems used by departments to measure progress against PSAs, the NAO underlines the vital importance of measuring government performance.

"Measuring government performance is vital. It shows whether the taxpayer is getting value for money and lets government learn from experience and improve performance. PSAs became progressively better specified but were not fully tied into resource management systems. Any new performance metrics need to be clear, measurable and directly related to the resources used to deliver them"

Mr Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, 14 July 2010

The National Audit Office has today underlined the vital importance of measuring government performance. Good performance measurement frameworks show taxpayers what they are getting for their money and enable the Government to assess whether it is achieving its key objectives cost-effectively. In its final review of the quality of the data systems used by government departments to measure progress against Public Service Agreements (PSAs), the NAO concludes that the PSA framework provided a clear focus on the objectives that mattered for the then Government, and had gradually improved over the years.

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