Government oversight
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 […]
Civil service still failing to manage the people’s cash
(CNS): The auditor general has once again called out the public sector management on its continued failure to implement recommendations made by her office and the Public Accounts Committee for better management of the people’s money. In the latest report, which followed up on past findings going back as far as 2017, Sue Winspear said […]
OAG: MITAMA broke law re CI$6M spent on o’seas promos
(CNS): The former administration broke the law when it committed the current government to around $6 million in spending over the next five years on overseas promotion. The former premier’s ministry signed agreements and contracts to open overseas offices and attend an Expo in Dubai just days before and after the election. The breaches of […]
Ombudsman sees 50% increase in data breaches
(CNS): The Ombudsman’s office saw a 15% increase in data protection queries from the public during 2021, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and issues around vaccination status. But the office also said there was a 50% increase in the number of data breaches being reported, where personal data had been accessed, lost, altered or […]
CS bosses drag their feet over PAC feedback
(CNS): Auditor General Sue Winspear has raised concerns that senior civil servants are falling behind when it comes to responding to Public Accounts Committee reports. While she noted improvements in implementing past recommendations made by PAC, based on reports from her office, she warned that the failure to produce a formal response to the committee […]
CO blames pandemic for failure to respond to OAG
(CNS): Acting Chief Officer Nellie Pouchie blamed the impact of the pandemic on the health ministry when it was already short-staffed, as she explained why the ministry had not responded to a report by the Office of the Auditor General that raised significant concerns about the pharmacy services.
COVID contracts and spending under scrutiny
(CNS): The money government has spent on supplies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic is being scrutinized by the Office of the Auditor General. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, government has spent tens of millions of dollars managing the impact of the virus here, both directly and indirectly.
CIG still struggling to fully account for public cash
(CNS): The audits of the consolidated accounts for the Entire Public Sector (EPS) for both 2019 and 2020 are ongoing as a result of a catalogue of issues that still prevent government’s financial officers from properly accounting for the public cash it collects. In her review of the 2020 accounts and the general state of […]
