CIG dragging feet over audit results
(CNS): Government departments have made slow progress addressing recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee following hearings last year on eight auditor general audits and reports that highlighted weaknesses and concerns over public money. The chair of the PAC, Ezzard Miller, said it will be meeting later this month and warned that questions will be asked of government officials about the failure in some cases to implement important recommendations on better management of public cash and assets.
While some officials have got to grips with the recommendations when it comes to the findings regarding social assistance, collecting revenue, government land and property as well as the overall financial reporting, government still has a long way to go, the auditor general, Sue Winspear, has said in a new report.
“Government’s progress with implementing the recommendations in the eight PAC reports is mixed,” said Winspear, in a review of previous reports published Monday. While the government auditor found that the findings had been largely addressed in half of the reports, the picture for the other four reports is far less positive. “This means that some important matters remain outstanding up to two years after my office made the original recommendation to government,” she added.
Raising concerns about the lack of movement regarding the management of social assistance, Winspear said, “Government has 12 different social assistance programmes but without a social assistance strategy or even clear criteria for some of these programmes, government cannot be certain that the budget for welfare is being spent effectively.”
Although Premier Alden McLaughlin has signalled his intention recently to prioritise social welfare improvements, the report highlighted the failure of government to update either the auditor general’s office, the PAC, or the public on what has happened to the outline business case to develop a coordinated social assistance strategy. This was commissioned in January and was supposed to have been completed by March. The ministry responsible for social affairs had said that a lack of resources has prevented it from making any progress on other areas that the auditor general noted in the report Government Programmes Supporting Those in Need, published in May 2015.
Ezzard Miller said it was “unacceptable” for two years to pass without government entities tackling the problems. “During the hearing, we will be asking government about three reports in particular, covering important areas for the Cayman economy and people, such as government programmes supporting those in need, collecting government revenues and national land development,” he added.
Miller warned that the PAC will be looking for updates on progress and clear explanations for the lack of progress. “The committee will be expecting clear commitments to timescales for full implementation of the recommendations,” he said.
Winspear also raised concerns that the quality of government’s responses to PAC could be better. “Some of the comments provided clear updates on progress against the recommendation, but many repeated much of what was said in response to the original OAG recommendation. This made it difficult to determine what, if any, action had been taken,” she said.
Both the auditor general and the PAC appear determined now to follow-up and chase government departments to find out what has or is being done to help improve the management of public funds, and where progress is not being made to find out why.
“Following up on the implementation of recommendations is a fundamental part of the accountability process,” Miller said. “The committee is keen to ensure that government takes seriously the recommendations made by the auditor general and the Public Accounts Committee. To support the committee with this, the auditor general will be bringing similar reports to us on a regular basis.”
Category: Government Finance, Government oversight, Local News
C’mon guys, it’s progress. Enough negativity. Support your workers.
I will never support lowering the bar…less mediocrity is not on when it comes to public finance…and I bet you will be the first moaning about hands in the till…until we get it right, that is going to continue..so no-its a little progress but there is no excuse for not having great progress.
snort…phewww…snort…phew…zzzzz?
Cultural misunderstanding time again.
ezzard ??? honestly? he dont care ????????⚓??
We need a report showing who are the owners of the businesses that have service and supply contracts with CIG. That will reveal the full extent of crony capitalism and, surprisingly, involves a smaller pool than most would imagine. Some very connected people are getting very rich off the backs of the taxpayers.
lobster pot building and cat boat club?
It’s like trying to teach algebra to a preschooler. They are not sufficiently developed and without a lot of training can not be expected to understand even the concept much less the need for discipline.And like all spoiled children they would throw a fit if Mother England stepped in to help them out. Just blame it on Cayman Culture like every other Caymanian problem and move on. When they run out of money it will fix itself.
Never mind all this. The DG has been focusing on his charity runs which are a great success!
7:34. I hope you took part in the DG5k. You should try and be part of the solution.
If you haven’t seen the difference in the civil service since he took over you must blind.
How many times have we heard “slowly getting better”? Only reason it’s not sorted is that it’s really difficult for the politicians and other interested parties to give up the gravy train!,
CIG successfully implements 75% of AG recommendations.
In my books that’s a great job. Why isn’t the AG and Miller saying this?
I have been reading AG reports for years and I have never read of this high level of compliance.
Thank you CIG, I for one see great progress.
5.56, if you wish to set the bar that low, that is your issue. In the commercial world, these results would mean a company being declared bankrupt. Government should comply with the same standards it expects from corporations. Those standards, at least in the financial world, are vigorously enforced by CIMA here. We don’t get 5 or 6 years to put something right, it has to be there and then, and I for one fail to see why that is not expected of CIG. Especially since it is public money, we should all be interested in seeing it accounted for properly.
9:07 really??? You are not comparing apples to apples. The private sector could never handle a complex issue like social assistance.
I refuse to pass judgement on these AG reports until after the PAC hearing.
4.24, yes they could, and would understand accountability too. And you passed judgement in your first sentence…you clearly seem to think accountability is not important and are quite happy for slow progress so the thieving can continue…perhaps you enjoy the benefits?
Accountability in the private sector is a joke. We are ripped off by flow CUC and the banks on a daily basis. Not to mention the lawyers ripping us off with $500ph rates to write a letter and take 3 hrs to write it.
Looks at the many unfair dismissals cases at the labour department. Is that real accountability or just kicking people you don’t want to the curb.
The civil service is not perfect but I am happy that I work for an employer who cares enough about me to educate and train me. Offer me secondment opportunities to gain experience. And oh yeah tell me if I mess up.
That’s local business…and you are right, cartels, monopolies punish all for being their customers…and yes that makes me sick. You try that in the Offshore finance sector and you are dead…International standards
The two recommendations flagged red are huge huge issues. Fixing social assistance and fully accounting for 690 million in revenue spread over 20-30 departments are mammoth tasks.
Most of this is too complicated for the average reader to understand.
What we should be focusing on is the 6 recommendations that was implemented.
No. The reason social assistance spending was flagged by the AG is because the power to hand out free money to the populace is a power that will inevitably corrupt the person who wields it, or attract those who are already corrupted, unless it is tightly controlled.
8:42 I am very happy with slowly getting better. The opposite would be frightening.
Thank you CIG.
Lots of people should be very happy that its moving right along slow as all get out. These are the very ones getting in on The never ending gravy train. You can’t get free money if the audits are competently done. Get a real job! End of story.
Zzzzzzzzz
The picture says it all inept Government, need I say more