Lord Sterling has issued the following statement:
I wanted to write to update you on the positive progress that has been made in relation to the National Audit Office (NAO) conducting a review of Motability.
Last Thursday (17th May) I wrote to Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP and Rt Hon Frank Field MP - as Chairs of the Treasury and DWP Select Committees respectively - to confirm that the boards of all relevant Motability entities (notably Motability, the charity, and Motability Operations Group Plc) had unanimously agreed to the terms of an agreement for a full review by the National Audit Office. A copy of this letter is attached, together with the press statement we jointly issued on Monday.
Although the Motability Scheme is not in direct receipt of public funds, we fully recognise the public interest in our work. There have of course been NAO reviews in the past. We welcome this review by the NAO because of the standards of integrity, objectivity and independence which always underpin its work. We look forward to engaging with the NAO as it conducts its review and puts the record straight on issues that have been raised in public in recent months.
We also welcomed this week’s statement by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Esther McVey, during the House of Commons’ DWP Questions session, in which she stated:
“I am pleased to announce that agreement has been reached and that the NAO will begin its inquiry into Motability”.
This followed the report published on Monday (21st May) by the joint DWP and Treasury Select Committee, following its inquiry into Motability.
Given the National Audit Office is now to conduct its review, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this stage, but we will be in a position to discuss these matters further once that review has been completed.
Finally, I have the pleasure to introduce you to Motability’s new Director, Paul Atkinson – a man who I already know has great empathy for our endeavours. He very recently joined us from the Royal Air Force, where he was Group Captain and Senior Air Battlespace Manager. Should you have general questions about Motability, separate from the NAO review itself, please do not hesitate to contact him.
Yours,
Jeffrey Sterling
Download our statement and letters:
Letter from Lord Sterling to the Select Committee Chairs Will download a resource(PDF 97KB) (PDF 97.7 KB)
Statement from Motability and Motability Operations Will download a resource(PDF 25KB) (PDF 25.8 KB)