The government’s lack of action on dozens of recommendations on budgeting, financial management and reporting is “disappointing”, according to the deputy auditor general.
Angela Cullen told a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, 27 July, that only two out of 33 directions from her office had been implemented within three years.
And the Ministry of Finance has made no progress at all on four of them, she said as she gave her opening speech on behalf of the auditor general in the House of Parliament.
Some of the more “significant recommendations” that are outstanding include improving budgeting in work and processes, Cullen said, which won’t see completion until 2025.
“That further delay means we won’t see a, hopefully, user-friendly, transparent and outcomes focused budget until 2026-2027,” she told those gathered.
Cullen added that the government is not reporting information that is needed for proper accountability, for example the total cost of the liability for post retirement benefits.
“The omission of that cost from the financial statements for the entire public sector means that the public doesn’t have accurate information on the entire financial position of the government’s accounts.”
The committee gathered this week to discuss in public the auditor general’s March paper, ‘Follow-up on past PAC recommendations 2023 – Report 1’.
The report lists the auditor general’s 17 recommendations on budgeting, and 16 recommendations on financial management and reporting made in 2020 and 2021.
It also shows that the committee endorsed all of the auditor general’s recommendations in two of its own reports from 2021, and details government progress.
Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson and Accountant General Matthew Tibbetts attended the meeting to provide the committee with further information and documentation.
Following the two hour hearing, the PAC held an administrative meeting where members discussed the evidence they received. They will write a report on their findings.
In the report, the committee may make additional recommendations to the government in addition to those set forth by the auditor general.
The Parliament Standing Order says the government must respond to recommendations within three months of the report being tabled in the House.
The non-partisan Public Accounts Committee established by the Cayman Islands Constitution is responsible for holding the government to account over its spending and financial management.
The committee comprises chairman Roy McTaggart and members Isaac Rankine, Barbara Conolly, Heather Bodden, Joseph Hew and McKeeva Bush.
The Compass will detail the PAC’s questions in a subsequent article.
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Knock 10% of the salaries of all those involved in ignoring the Auditor General’s recommendations until they are adopted and we may get some results . There are proactive, reactive and inactive employees and too many civil servants fall into the last category.