Auditor general: Some progress on recommendations but concerns remain
Cayman Islands
The Office of the Auditor General has found that government has responded to the majority of recommendations made by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on the basis of three audit reports.
In a first follow-up report, released last week, the auditor general tabulated that 76% of the 61 recommendations had been implemented or were in progress.
Auditor General Sue Winspear said, “I am pleased to report that the government has made good progress in implementing the recommendations made by the PAC and my office in the reports relating to the government’s use of consultants, temporary staff, and outsourced services, and in fighting corruption.”
Winspear added, “That said, some important recommendations have yet to be implemented.”
She noted that the tender limits given in the Procurement Act regulations are still different from those given in financial regulations made under the Public Management and Finance Act.
“It is also not clear if the government has actually started to centrally monitor and report its expenditure on consultants or outsourced services. This is essential information for decision making,” she said.
The update found that by the end of December 2021, government had not responded to seven PAC reports.
“I am concerned that the civil service continues to fall further behind in responding to PAC reports,” Winspear said. “Reporting back on progress with the implementation of recommendations is a fundamental part of the accountability process. The delays in responding to the PAC undermine this process.”
In an August 2021 report on government’s reaction to 15 PAC reports tabled between September 2018 and December 2020, the auditor general highlighted that government had responded to only three within the allotted timeframe, six responses were late, and five reports remained unaddressed.
Report on pharmacy services not acknowledged
Last week, a Public Accounts Committee hearing received testimony from Nellie Pouchie, acting chief officer of in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, on the ministry’s lack of response to an auditor general’s report on government’s pharmacy services.
In that report, the auditor general criticised that she had not heard from the ministry before the release of the findings, despite allowing for almost two months of clearing time.
“This is both highly unusual and disappointing, especially when I previously reported in 2017 and more recently in 2021 that there are significant gaps at the national level for healthcare as the legislative framework is outdated and there is no overarching strategic plan,” Winspear wrote.
Pouchie apologised to the committee and blamed both capacity constraints and the COVID pandemic for “overpowering” her short-staffed ministry’s ability to provide a response.
She promised written feedback accepting the recommendations to the auditor general and the PAC immediately, but said a more substantive timeline for implementation would take until the end of the first quarter.
Pressed by the committee members on why government entities like the Health Services Authority had found time to respond, despite the pandemic, Pouchie said such a comparison was “not fair”.
“We all have different challenges that we’re dealing with,” she said, adding that “our challenges are real in terms of staffing shortages”.
These concerned especially technical and policy advisory staff, which in combination with the constraints caused by the pandemic, meant that the ministry’s tasks in terms of strategic and legislative development had to be pushed back, she said.
image: Pexeles-audit