Government oversight
OES surveys parents on school inspections
(CNS): The Office of Education Standards (OES), which is responsible for conducting all school inspections in the Cayman Islands, is reviewing the framework it uses to measure standards and wants parents to wade in on the review. The OES has created an online survey, which consists of ten questions about how school inspections are done […]
Home learning unequal, report finds
(CNS): The inequality of access, unreliability of technology and a lack of a strategy to help teachers use online platforms well has made home learning “an imperfect substitute to school-based provision”, according to a new report by the Office of Education Standards (OES). This will lead to problems for schools when they return because there […]
Tribunal breaches statutory timelines
(CNS): Almost a dozen cases before the Labour Appeals Tribunal (LAT) missed the statutory deadline, Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston has found following a maladministration investigation by her office. Despite breaching the statutory timeline for cases to be heard 11 times, there will be no consequences for the tribunal but officials have agreed to implement the directions […]
Auditors keep eye on public cash
(CNS): A new report released by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Tuesday outlines its plans to keep an eye on government’s handling of public cash during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this year’s audit plan has changed, Auditor General Sue Winspear said the document sets out the basic principles guiding the OAG and its […]
Cop used ‘unnecessary’ force in rogue rider case
(CNS): An investigation into how police handled a pursuit of rogue riders in April found that one officer used “unnecessary and unreasonable force” during the arrest and behaved badly to a member of the public at the scene. The Office of the Ombudsman also found that an off-duty officer made matters worse when he joined […]
OfReg accused of wasting more public cash
(CNS) Updated with correction: The utilities regulator, OfReg, which has already faced criticisms for its lavish spending of public cash while failing to address any of the issues it was created to tackle, wasted well over CI$200,000 in 2018 on renting an office it never used. The regulator also exceeded its travel budget for that […]
Civil service pay-offs still causing audit concerns
(CNS): Government’s efforts to keep a lid on the details of the pay-offs it has made, and continues to make, to senior civil servants who have left the public sector under questionable circumstances are still raising issues for the Office of the Auditor General. In her latest report looking at government finances, Auditor General Sue […]
Ethics law depends on board members’ honesty
(CNS): The regulations accompanying the Standards in Public Life law, which finally came into effect on Sunday, have confirmed that people serving as directors on government boards and commissions have no need to reveal anything about their private finances unless they believe it may conflict with their role. Board members simply have to sign a […]
Clarity needed on who runs the court, says DG
(CNS): Questions about the efficiency of the Cayman Islands court system that were raised in a report by the auditor general were the focus of a Public Accounts Committee hearing Monday, when the deputy governor revealed that, when it comes to the administration, who runs what is not entirely clear. Franz Manderson said that while […]
NRA spending not properly controlled
(CNS): The National Roads Authority has been spending large sums of cash without following the proper tendering process, the Office of the Auditor General found in a review of the authority’s financial reports. The NRA has spent public cash on marl, crosswalks and other equipment without putting the pricey contracts out to competitive bids. The […]
Regs to come after ethics law starts
(CNS): More than four years after passing the original legislation, government has issued the commencement order for the Standards in Public Life Law, but the regulations will not be published until after the fact. Last month the premier said the issues that had concerned those serving on public sector boards had been addressed through the […]
