GSD: Principal Auditor’s Report Calls for Greater Parliamentary Scrutiny
The GSD has said that the Principal Auditor’s report “calls for greater parliamentary scrutiny.”
A statement continued:
“The Principal Auditor’s Report on the Public Accounts of Gibraltar for 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 was at long last tabled in Parliament last week. This delayed report, which runs to 903 pages, covers a multitude of matters including a call for the creation of a Public Accounts Committee to conduct in-depth hearings on key findings of audit reports. This latter recommendation is aligned to GSD policy but is diametrically opposed to the Government’s long-standing refusal to create such a committee.”
Roy Clinton, the GSD Shadow Minister for Public Finance stated the following:
“The GSD has been consistently calling for the tabling of the Principal Auditor’s report which, in spite of the most recent publication remain shockingly long overdue. This significant delay should be the source of political embarrassment to the Government which is the main culprit for the delay by not bringing before the Parliament the supplementary appropriation bills, an essential pre-cursor for the Reports to be completed. The undeniable fact is that the Report is a key tool in the exercise of Parliamentary scrutiny over our public finances and the administration of Government, the Government’s inexcusable failure in this area prevents such scrutiny from taking place to Gibraltar’s wider detriment.
“The tabling of this Report does not remedy the massive lag in accountability of the Government because we still await reports on financial years dating back to 2019. This delay squarely lies at the foot of the Government despite the best efforts of the Principal Auditor to fulfil his job. The reality is that the GSLP/Liberals are undermining his work which results in a lack of timely accountability.
“The Principal Auditor, who has now been able to issue his findings in an extensive report which runs to 903 pages, covering matters such as Departmental Audits, Arrears of Revenue, Value for Money Audits, obstruction of obtaining information on Government Companies, overspends on the Music Festival and the Gibraltar Savings Bank. The full report is available to the public and can be accessed at https://www.gao.gov.gi/.
“Other matters raised concern the need for a new Public Audit Act and the proper resourcing of the Audit department. We have also had sight of the full audited accounts of the Gibraltar Savings Bank which are published for each of the five years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 which Sir Joe Bossano, as Minister responsible for the Savings Bank, bizarrely told Parliament only last week he would refuse to gazette despite the requirements to do so under s 12 (b) of the Savings Bank Act.
“Significantly, the Principal Auditor, like the GSD, is also himself calling for the creation of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as a “critical need”, contrasting sharply with the Government’s refusal to consider a PAC. While we are not hopeful, the GSD asks whether the Government will change its unreasonable policy in this respect.
This extensive report contains much detailed information which we will continue to analyse. ”
