Holding Government to account

Transcription

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2 Holding Government to account Prof. Malcolm Prowle John Doyle Gillian Fawcett Marcine Waterman

3 Nottingham Business School Putting Finance into politics Holding Government to account Professor Malcolm Prowle Nottingham Business School 3

4 Background 800 th anniversary of Magna Carta First step in accountability of the King (Government) The rest is history Where do we go from here 4

5 Forces of change Service demands/austerity continue Low levels of trust in politicians and governments Constitutional changes taking place Political changes taking place The role of the media 5

6 Some key accountability issues Scrutiny of policies and plans Responsibility and accountability structures Reporting mechanisms Role of audit 6

7 Panel Speakers John Doyle - auditor general, Victorian Auditor- General s Office, Australia Marcine Waterman - controller of audit, Audit Commission, England Gillian Fawcett - head of public sector, ACCA 7

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9 4 December 2014 ACCA International Public Sector Conference 9 Holding government to account John Doyle Auditor-General

10 4 December 2014 ACCA International Public Sector Conference Sharman report Holding to account (2001) 10 Mandate for public bodies Audit of the adequacy of controls Audit of performance statements Coordination with other inspectors Auditing joined up activities

11 4 December 2014 ACCA International Public Sector Conference Other examples from Victoria 11 Follow up of audits shows poor take up Coverage of accountability/integrity framework Recurring findings in audits Auditors are having to do more to fill the gap.

12 4 December 2014 ACCA International Public Sector Conference What to do? 12 Modern audit legislation Ripple effect Follow up Key Audit Themes

13 4 December 2014 ACCA International Public Sector Conference Contact details 13 Contacting me: Contacting VAGO: Level 24, 35 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia

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15 Breaking out: public audit s new role in a post crash world The global body for professional accountants

16 Overview The consequences of the 2008 financial crisis continue to play out Bold decisions are having to be made by governments about where to cut Increasing fragmentation of public services The expansion of the transparency agenda to bridge the accountability gap Cultural barriers Under developed approaches for managing risk The global body for professional accountants

17 The importance of independent audit The global body for professional accountants

18 Detroit - meltdown The global body for professional accountants

19 Spain - indebtedness The global body for professional accountants

20 Turks and Caicos - corruption The global body for professional accountants

21 Early intervention Auditors must intervene earlier in the processes by which money is allocated to departments and when projects are prepared Providing assurance earlier in the lifecycle of a project can limit the impact of administrative failures, preventing them from snowballing in to significant value for money failures Audit should look upstream to how decisions are made within government and downstream to how services are delivered Real time audit is needed! The global body for professional accountants

22 Catalyst for improvement The auditor is directly seen as a catalyst for continuous improvement in Australia and Wales The Controller of the Audit Commission, England disagrees, local public audit has a subtle relationship with improvement General consensus about the importance of follow up and follow through The global body for professional accountants

23 Preventing fraud and corruption Legislative accountability and audit for a new democracy in Bhutan has led to improvements in their position on Transparency International s index of perception of corruption according to a leading politician The auditor general of Jamaica believes that where corruption is facilitated by societal norms auditor generals have a responsibility to engage and educate the public alongside civil society groups and leaders in society Audit should deter corruption and promote and support a culture of honesty and openness according to the Auditor General of Scotland. She outlines six key steps. The global body for professional accountants

24 A wider scope of audit for companies delivering public services Total spending in the UK with third parties was $187bn Private companies do not undergo the same audit rigor as their public sector counterparts A number of high profile failures occurred where the only instrument of accountability was the contract Absence of big picture view of a company Arguably, performance audits could have identified early warning signs. The global body for professional accountants

25 Strengthening parliamentary accountability Solving the conundrum of why the same mistakes and failures happen time and time again Resource constraints Dealing with weak implementation the dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on A possible re-evaluation of the system is required e.g. Canada has created departmental audit committees with external representation which has led to tighter risk can control frameworks The global body for professional accountants

26 Conclusion The six key qualities of public audit: - Promote transparency - Identifies opportunity for improvement - Provides comprehensive information - Provides independent evidence - Promotes public confidence and trust - Helps the government to be clearer about longer term consequences of decisions. The global body for professional accountants

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28 Holding government to account ACCA International Public Sector Conference 4 December 2014 Marcine Waterman Controller of Audit

29 Holding local government (and other local public bodies) to account Primary stakeholders for local public audit are taxpayers Conclusion on arrangements to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness Central government interest due to money passed to local bodies

30 The Audit Commission provides: Independently appointed local auditors: With centrally set and determined audit fees Auditors depend for appointments and income on neither local bodies nor central government Assurance of ethical standards and avoiding conflicts of interest An independent body standing behind auditors when they report in the public interest or use other statutory powers

31 After its closure, the Commission s functions will be dispersed to other public bodies Function Destination Audit contracts - appointing auditors; regulating; setting scales of fees; quality Grant certification arrangements for HB certification VFM Profiles tool Code of Audit Practice and technical guidance Local VFM studies Public Sector Auditor Appointments PSAA PSAA National Audit Office National Audit Office National Fraud Initiative Corporate Governance Inspections Cabinet Office Secretary of State, DCLG

32 But several gaps may open in accountability systems: Who will collate information from auditors and set out the big picture, publishing outputs from the audits of over 200bn of public money? Will armchair auditors fill their increased role? Further issues will arise, such as: Potential for higher fees and market concentration No direct relationship with auditors, making it more difficult for the NAO to require and collate information from auditors and ensure compliance with requirements Audited bodies will have to liaise directly with government departments, regulators and auditors No information produced on the cost of audits

33 Risks to financial management and governance make external audit more important Local authorities are under great financial pressure Already some evidence of: Cuts to the level of scrutiny support Reductions in the number of fraud investigators Increased risk of authorities cutting their finance function inappropriately, weakening the position of their statutory finance officer Some authorities may be under pressure to implement transformational service change at high speed, leading to VFM risks.

34 We wish to see four key aspects of local audit preserved: 1. Wider scope of local public audit 2. Robust process for identifying and dealing with conflicts of interest 3. Low but sustainable fees 4. Auditors able to report without fear or favour

35 Our VFM briefings have identified a potential 2.3 billion in savings

36 But the role of local public audit is not unlimited A link in the accountability chain, not the whole process Risk-based, proportionate assurance, not a guarantee A back-stop to several other lines of defence against poor decision-making or faulty processes Statutory officers Internal audit Overview and scrutiny If problems are identified, responses should start with the primary lines of defence Need to keep a distinction between audit and improvement work Creating unrealistic expectations of audit could work to undermine it

37 Contact details (until 5pm on Tuesday, 31 March 2015) Marcine Waterman, Controller of Audit: (Private Secretary) The Audit Commission: (Reception) First Floor, Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London, SW1P 4DF

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