Our examination covered the process for selecting the Strategic Partner for NATS, and was also aimed at evaluating the extent to which the PPP has promoted the achievement of the Government's objectives, (Figure 4), namely:
■ above all, for standards of safety and national security to be at least maintained, in particular by separating service provision from safety regulation;
■ an injection of private sector money and management skills:
■ for NATS to benefit from greater freedom to invest and to improve its services free of public sector constraints; and
■ that in achieving these prime objectives the interests of the taxpayer should be safeguarded.
We have also looked at the risks to the achievement of the Government's objectives following completion of the NATS PPP deal in July 2001.