The Government says it notes the comments made by the former Principal Auditor in respect of the GHA Audited Accounts for Financial Year’s 2013/14 and 2014/15 referred to in his recently published report.

A statement from the Government follows below:

In the report, the former Principal Auditor said in paragraph 4.1.17 “contrary to the provisions of section 15(5) of the Medical (Gibraltar Health Authority) Act, 1987, the audited accounts had not yet been laid in Parliament at the close of this report.”

This is factually inaccurate and, as a result, the Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, wrote to the Principal Auditor expressing her concern at the inaccuracy given she had laid the audited accounts in Parliament on 21st May 2025, before the close of the former Principal Auditor’s report, and on the first day of the first session of Parliament after the Ministry for Health, Care and Business was notified on 3rd May 2025 by the former Principal Auditor of the need to lay these accounts in Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

The Principal Auditor responded to Minister Arias-Vasquez noting that the audited accounts for the GHA for Financial Years 2013/14 and 2014/15 were in fact laid in Parliament on 21st May 2025, before the close of the former Principal Auditor’s report. As such, the Principal Auditor has agreed to include an erratum as a footnote to page 141 to clarify that the accounts had indeed been laid before Parliament by Minister Arias-Vasquez.

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “I am very grateful to the new Principal Auditor, Phil Sharman, for responding so quickly to my letter over the inaccurate statement in his predecessor’s report that I had not laid the GHA audited accounts in Parliament and for agreeing to amend the report accordingly. Given this was the only direct reference to me in the report, I felt it was important to correct the public record. I take my responsibilities to Parliament and the public very seriously and I am therefore pleased this has now been addressed.”