Government oversight
OAG urges CJ to tackle 3-year delay on court efficiency
(CNS): Judicial Administration has made very little progress over the last three years on recommendations by the Public Accounts Committee to improve the efficiency and value for money of the local court system. Auditor General Sue Winspear has urged the new chief justice to take on the recommendations as soon as possible because only three […]
OAG: Ministers must stay out of procurement process
(CNS): The Office of the Auditor General found no evidence of inappropriate actions by the civil service over the procurement of lateral flow tests to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic last year and that decisions made by Cabinet members were “reasonable and appropriate”. However, Auditor General Sue Winspear said clarity is needed around emergency decisions […]
Appeal favours right to know over commercial ‘secrets’
(CNS): A decision by the Office of the Ombudsman has clarified the extent to which records of private sector service providers are exempt from release under the FOI Act weighed against the public’s right to know about deals with the government. The decision related to a freedom of information request to the Cayman Islands Airports […]
Website launched to open up police commission
(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper said the launch of the new Police Service Commission (PSC) website will offer accessibility and transparency for the public on the new commission, which was established last year to manage the hiring and firing of senior police officers, as well as the good governance of the RCIPS. The commission had its first […]
Rules needed on post-election horsetrading and speaker’s role
(CNS): The Constitutional Commission has issued a number of recommendations, including introducing more robust rules relating to the formation of a government in the aftermath of an unclear election and rules to preserve the impartiality of the speaker’s position. Alongside the process of how a government should take shape, the commission questioned whether a speaker […]
Budget forecasts can improve, Jefferson admits
(CNS): Government’s tendency to underestimate how much revenue it expects to collect is the result of “human nature” and a deliberate desire on the part of successive administrations in recent years to avoid the risk of a deficit and to take a conservative approach to spending ahead of the budget, only to spend the extra […]
Customs boss to face MPs on failures over improvements
(CNS): Customs and Border Control Director Charles Clifford is one of several senior government officials due to face the Public Accounts Committee today (Wednesday) to explain why many of the recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General have not been implemented. A report published in February highlighted the fact that the CBC has […]
OAG stands by report on Dubai and o’seas office failings
(CNS): Deputy Governor Franz Manderson has found no breach of the Public Management and Finance Act (PMFA) following an investigation into a report by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). But Sue Winspear told CNS she stands by the special audit she was asked to conduct on how the former administration and civil servants […]
Water Authority asked to justify rate increase
(CNS): The utilities regulator, OfReg, has deferred an application by the Water Authority for a rate increase asking the government-owned company’s management for more information to justify the increase. During last week’s OfReg board meeting the directors reviewed the request for a hike in prices but found that the 2020 year’s financial statements supporting the […]
Ministry exposes names of 1000s of stipend recipients
(CNS): In what appears to be an administrative error by a member of the labour ministry’s ‘stipend team’, the email addresses of at least 3,000 people receiving the government’s tourism grant for displaced workers have been exposed. In many cases, this includes the full names of those receiving the public cash.
Roulstone appointed as new Ombudsman
(CNS): Sharon Roulstone is to be the new Ombudsman overseeing public complaints against the government and the police, whistle-blower protection, freedom of information requests and data protection. Governor Martyn Roper announced Roulstone’s appointment on social media Thursday, saying her “professional achievements, integrity and passion impressed the recruitment panel who unanimously agreed that she was well […]
