Ofgem is committed to providing the public and those interested in our work with information on where we are spending money and to hold us, as a Government Department, to account.
The Government has set out the need for greater transparency across its operations. This includes commitments relating to public expenditure, and is intended to help reduce the deficit and achieve better value for money. The Prime Minister has asked all Government Departments to publish a wide range of information with regard to central government expenditure.
Transparency is necessary to ensure we are accountable. Ofgem is also accountable to the public through Parliamentary scrutiny both in Westminster and the devolved administrations, eg through investigations by select committees.
To ensure that money is spent wisely, we adhere to four essential principles:
- Transparency – providing clear, consistent, comparable and accessible information
- Accountability – so that decision-makers and budget holders can be held to account
- Simplicity – so that it is easy to understand what is going on, and
- Coherence – so that our activities are clear and logical.
Each year, Ofgem produces a Forward Work Programme. This details Ofgem’s main themes and priorities for the coming year. The Programme provides information on the work to be undertaken to support the main themes and priorities. It also provides financial data.
Ofgem's planned deliverables and performance indicators for the year ahead are also available and are based on our Forward Work Programme.
Ofgem must account for its use of resources in its Annual Report and Accounts which are audited by the National Audit Office. We will publish regularly updated information in an easily accessible format. More information will be added as it is developed to support our commitment to transparency. Further links to Government–wide data can be found on the central transparency site at Data.gov.uk