Measures to correct lapses stated in Auditor-General's report

WE THANK Mr Ephraim Loy for his feedback on Tuesday ('Audits on govt agencies: More ways to strengthen public trust').

Mr Loy commented that while the report of the Auditor-General points out the lapses in government agencies, it should also update the public on the measures these agencies have taken to correct their internal processes.

The corrective actions taken up to the point of publication of the report are mentioned in the report itself.

In the course of audit, the Auditor-General's Office will follow up on its past findings.

The rare instance where an agency has been found tardy in rectifying a major lapse would be reported in the Auditor-General's subsequent report.

Follow-up actions taken by government agencies have also been reflected in the reports of the Public Accounts Committee submitted to Parliament.

These reports result from the committee's inquiries into selected audit findings reported by the Auditor-General.

The committee's reports are available on the website of the Parliament of Singapore (www.parliament.gov.sg).

The latest committee report can also be accessed from the website of the Auditor-General's Office (www.ago.gov.sg).
Eu Lee Jen (Ms)

Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs

Auditor-General's Office
ST Forum, 22 Oct 2011

Audits on govt agencies: More ways to strengthen public trust
THE effort by the Auditor-General's Office in auditing government agencies is commendable, especially at a time when public transparency and accountability are vital ('Auditor-General raps govt agencies'; last Friday)

While the report by the Auditor-General points out the lapses in government agencies, it stops short of updating the public on the measures these agencies have taken to correct their internal processes.

In addition to its current efforts of uploading these yearly reports online, the Auditor-General's Office and the Ministry of Finance should shed light on the following:

What have agencies that were flagged in previous reports done to ensure that effective controls are in place today?

Where are these corrective measures documented? Are they publicly available?

Making such information public will further strengthen public confidence and trust in the Government.
Ephraim Loy

ST Forum, 18 Oct 2011