House Speaker receives 2017 Auditor General’s report
DPI, Friday, September 28, 2018
Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Barton Scotland today received the 2017 Auditor General’s report from Auditor General (AG) Deodat Sharma.
Auditor General Deodat Sharma hands over the 2017 report to Speaker of the House Dr. Barton Scotland
Dr. Scotland said the Auditor General’s work remains an integral part of the management and scrutiny of resources made available to the government. He said while the office is an independent one and is protected in the performance of its duties, the annual presentation is mandatory by the AG.
“The report of the Auditor General is of signal importance in relation to Parliament’s treatment of the budget and the scrutiny of Parliament of the resources generally. So, we must appreciate that as set out in the constitution, the AG must at this time, annually present this report.”
Dr Scotland reminded that the report must first be laid in Parliament before its contents are made public. That will take place at the first sitting of the National Assembly when it comes out of recess in early October.
Giving a summary of the report, Auditor General Deodat Sharma said much of the report covers areas in keeping with the theme of ensuring a greener environment. It also focuses on the upcoming oil and gas industry.
“We will be looking at various areas in the oil and gas sector that will be relevant to our engagement when it comes to examining the revenue and expenditure of the sector. These areas include financial, regulatory, technical and scientific. We will be building capacity to undertake an environmental audit and we will be looking at the regulatory aspects including environmental governance and key environmental issues.”
He said the submission of the report marks the eighth consecutive time the Audit Office has been reaching the statutory deadline of September 30, before the close of the financial year. Sharma said that achievement reflects the realisation of the office’s objective of timely reporting of the results of the audits to the Legislature and ultimately the public.