Watchdog to run VfM study into confiscation orders with £1.2bn+ owed

The National Audit Office is to assess the value for money of the management and enforcement of confiscation orders, with the amount owed by convicted criminals exceeding £1.2bn.

The watchdog said much of the sums owed (the latest figure is as at March 2012) was “considered uncollectable”.

Government departments currently collect more than £100m annually through confiscation orders.

Responsibility for management and enforcement of the orders is shared across a number of bodies, primarily across the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office. Other departments involved include the Home Office and HM Revenue and Customs.

Since 2010, HM Courts and Tribunal Service has reported on the amounts collected and owed on behalf of all bodies involved with confiscation orders.

The NAO said: “This study will assess the value for money of the management and enforcement of confiscation orders by examining the current governance arrangements, estimating the cost and efficiency of the confiscation order process, and examining the financial and performance reporting of confiscation order collection and outstanding debt.”

A report is expected to be published in late 2013.