Detailed Departmental guidance

Departments' more detailed guidance (and analyses/rationale) to meet their specific needs.

Please note that many of the links below are to external websites and will open in a new window. Some of the documents are available in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer you can download the software free of charge from the Adobe website. For alternative ways to read PDF documents and further information on website accessibility visit the HM Treasury accessibility page.

General guidance and general issues
Evaluation
Competition
Crime
Environment
Health
Health and Safety
Public Sector Output and Productivity
Regeneration
Regions
Transport

General guidance and general issues

Scottish Public Finance Manual: Appraisal and Evaluation (Scottish Executive)

This section of the manual provides guidance on appraisal and evaluation techniques and procedures

Northern Ireland Economic Appraisal Guidance (Northern Ireland)

The Northern Ireland Practical Guide to the Green Book 2003 and a number of other resources, including spreadsheets to help calculate Net Present Values and Optimism Bias, links to other relevant sites, and contact details

Defence Guidance (JSP 507 MOD Guide To Investment Appraisal And Evaluation) (MOD)

Advice on all aspects of investment appraisal and evaluation in MOD, including real options analysis (but not preparation of business cases)

DCFS/DIUS appraisal and evaluation guide

Evaluation and Appraisal Guidance (PDF) (DCFS/DIUS)
General guidance covering the key considerations that must be made when developing policy (rather than covering issues surrounding appraising education and training policies or children's services). For all those responsible for policy development and delivery, capital projects, the use or disposal of assets, the specification of regulations or any major procurement decision.

Culture (DCMS) The White Book

The White Book (DCMS)
Guidance on all stages in assessing, appraising, monitoring and evaluating expenditure decisions. Signposts to more detailed sources of guidance and support are also provided.

Understanding policy options (Home Office)

Understanding policy options (PDF) (Home Office)
Guidance for policy makers to diagnose problems by market failure and generate a shortlist of policy options (from examining changing the behaviour of intermediaries and victims to prevent crime).

Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform webpage (BERR)

Links to economics and statistics pages

Work and Pensions (DWP) Review of cost-benefit framework

Economic valuation with stated preference techniques DfT 2002 GES Working Paper 140

Economic valuation with stated preference techniques (DfT 2002 GES Working Paper 140) (PDF)
How to undertake and make best use of economic valuation with stated preference techniques for valuing non-monetary costs and benefits. Summarises the essential steps required for conducting high quality stated preference valuation studies. Written for people involved in commissioning, managing or assign stated preference (SP) based appraisals. It will help those who need to decide whether or how to find money values for measurable but unpriced impacts such as environmental effects in order to use these values in cost benefit analysis of policy or project options.

Economic Valuation with Stated Preference Techniques (DCLG)

This guidance for Government officials and other practitioners explains how to undertake and make the best use of Economic Valuation with Stated Preference (SP) techniques for the valuation of non-monetary costs and benefits.

Long term discounting

Background papers for the 2003 Green Book

Multi-criteria analysis manual (DCLG)

How to undertake and make best use of multi-criteria analysis for appraising options for policy and other decisions.

Evaluation

Magenta Book (Policy Hub)

Guidance on effective policy making and how to ensure that new policies have evaluation of their effectiveness built into them from the start.

Performance and Evaluation Team website (BERR)

RDA evaluation guidance

RDA evaluation guidance (Evaluating the impact of England's Regional Development Agencies: Developing a Methodology and Evaluation Framework) (PDF)
Explains the purpose, approach and methods for the evaluation of the impact of the English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and their contribution to the achievement of regional and national objectives.

Competition

Assessing the impact of public sector procurement on competition (2004)

Summary: Assessing the impact of public sector procurement on competition (2004): Summary (PDF) (OFT)
Main report: Assessing the impact of public sector procurement on competition (2004): Main report (PDF) (OFT)
Case studies: Assessing the impact of public sector procurement on competition (2004): Case studies (PDF) (OFT)

Public policy: using market-based approaches

Full document: Public policy: using market-based approaches (PDF) (OFT)
Lessons and guidance for policymakers: Lessons and guidance for policy makers (PDF) (OFT)

Vulnerable consumers and financial services

Vulnerable consumers and financial services (PDF) (OFT)
OFT are currently developing a more sophisticated approach to vulnerable consumers.

Crime

Economic and social costs of crime (Home Office)

Home Office website
2003/04 study
The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and households 2003/04 (PDF) (Home Office)
Estimates of the costs of crime against individuals and households (not commercial or public sector victims) in 2003/04

Environment

Environmental Valuation Reference Inventory (EVRI) database

Over 1900 valuation studies worldwide

DEFRA Valuation Research

Environmental economic reports including:
Literature review: Economic, Social and Ecological Value of Ecosystem services
Valuation of health benefits associated with reductions in air pollution (DEFRA)
Revealing the value of the natural environment in England
Revealing the value of the natural environment in England (PDF) (DEFRA)
Developing measures for valuing changes in Biodiversity (April 2004) (DEFRA)
Estimating the value of environmental features (DEFRA)
Valuing our Natural Environment Final Report – Annexes
Valuing our Natural Environment Final Report - Annexes (PDF) (DEFRA)
Valuation methods, literature overview and references, summaries of policy consultation and workshops.
An Introductory Guide to Valuing Ecosystem Services December 2007 (DEFRA)

Air Quality Strategy (DEFRA)

Flood and Coastal Erosion: project appraisal guidance (DEFRA)

Six titles in the series, designed to provide an integrated suite of guidance on all aspects of project appraisal.

Sustainable development

Guidance currently being drafted will outline an ecosystems approach to appraisal.

Environmental Valuation Source List for the UK (DEFRA)

Single point of reference for the location of printed items containing money values of environmental impacts and assets in the United Kingdom.

Shadow Price of Carbon (DEFRA)

How to value greenhouse gas emissions, for all policy and project appraisals with significant effects on carbon emissions.

Health

Policy Appraisal & Health

Policy Appraisal & Health (PDF) (DH)
Explains how health effects can be taken properly into account in policy making (to help ensure that national health targets are met).

NICE Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal (NICE)

One of a set of documents that describes the process and methods that NICE uses to undertake technology appraisals (due for revision in 2007)

Related NICE guidance (NICE)

Health and Safety

HSE Guidance is being updated following the Impact Assessment launch.

Current guidance::

Principles for Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) in support of "as low as reasonably practical" (ALARP) decisions (HSE)
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) checklist (HSE)
Summary of HSE's view of what should and should not be considered in a duty holder's CBA for health and safety ALARP determinations.

Research reports:

Values for workplace accidents and ill health (HSE)
These appraisal values can be used to "estimate the benefits of proposed measures which aim to improve occupational health and safety, and to compare such benefits with the cost of government intervention." The appraisal values give the unit costs to society for three kinds of workplace accidents and ill health: fatalities; non-fatal injury accidents; and cases of ill health.
Workplace Accidents and Work-Related Ill Health
Interim update of the "Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents and Work-Related Ill Health" (PDF) HSE)
Dread risks
Valuation of health and safety benefits: Dread risks (PDF) (HSE)
Occupational asthma
The true cost of occupational asthma in Great Britain (PDF) (HSE)

Public Sector Output and Productivity (ONS)

Measurement of the output of public sector activities (ONS)

Often the key to characterising fully the benefits of public sector activity

Regeneration etc (DCLG)

Appraisal and evaluation guidance (DCLG)

3 R's - Assessing the Impacts of Spatial Interventions: Regeneration, Renewal and Regional Development (DCLG)

Sets out the broad framework for assessing spatially targeted interventions, focusing on broad principles rather than defining rigid procedures. Extends the Green Book to cover the appraisal of regeneration, renewal and regional development initiatives with spatial impacts.

Optimism bias: guidance for OB adjustments for regeneration, decent homes, and fire projects (DCLG)

Regions

Single Programme Appraisal Guidance (SPAG)

Single Programme Appraisal Guidance (SPAG) (PDF) (BERR)
Appraisal and evaluation of RDA Single Programme spending. The guidance is currently being updated.

RDA Impact Evaluation Framework

RDA Impact Evaluation Framework (PDF) (BERR)
Explains the purpose, approach and methods for the evaluation of the impact of the English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and their contribution to the achievement of regional and national objectives.

Transport

Webtag (DfT)

Guidance on the conduct of transport studies

Economics and appraisal (DfT)

DfT webpage providing guidance and links

Integrated Transport Economics and Appraisal (DfT)

DfT webpage providing guidance and links

Road safety (DfT)

Estimates of the values for prevention of road casualties and road accidents for use in the appraisal of road schemes.

Scottish transport appraisal guidance (Scottish Executive)

Outlines a process that assists transport planners and decision-makers in the development of multi modal transport policies, plans, programmes and projects.

Detailed Departmental guidance

Green Book