Government Gets on Auditor General’s Honour Roll
Government has completed 82 of 103 recommendations from 2020, 2021, and 2022 performance audits
For release April 15 - The Government of Nova Scotia has completed so many recommendations from past Auditor General reports that it’s hoisted its three-year rolling average from 60 to 80 per cent.
Government has completed almost three quarters of the recommendations from 2020 and 2022 performance audits, with 70% and 74% completion rates, respectively. But the real achievement is hitting the 100 per cent mark on recommendations from audits done by the Office in 2021, including Planning and Implementation of the Pre-Primary Program, Internet for Nova Scotia, Value for Money of Early COVID-19 Relief Programs for Individuals and Small Businesses and a two-phase audit of Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.
“It’s the first time in the history of the Follow-up Report that Government has achieved a perfect score on a year of audit recommendations,” says Auditor General Kim Adair.
“The Government’s commitment to carrying out the recommendations shows it values the work and the recommendations made by the Office,” Adair said.
The Auditor General makes recommendations in performance audits to identify opportunities for organizations to improve their services and programs. There were 103 recommendations in the 11 audits completed by the office between 2020 and 2022.
Every year, the Office circles back to assess government’s implementation rate in the annual Follow-up Report, a process first started back in 2002.
Despite the high praise, there is a low point in this year’s annual follow-up report concerning the 2019 audit of The Selection and Quality Management of Bridge Projects in Central and Western Districts.
When the audit was released five years ago, the department agreed with the recommendations and committed to implementing all of them – including conducting bridge inspections as required; and prioritizing bridge repair and replacement with consistent criteria.
Last year, the Department of Public Works had just one out of seven recommendations completed from this audit but estimated the rest would be complete by May 2024. The Auditor General decided to circle back because of the low rate of implementation.
“Although Public Works accepted all seven recommendations from our 2019 audit report, the department has only completed two after five years. We strongly urge the Department to take action now to address the remaining recommendations to allow it to effectively and efficiently manage these bridge projects,” Adair said.
The government has publicly agreed that it will complete all Auditor General recommendations within a two-year timeframe.
The Auditor General encourages all organizations to work toward the timely completion of every recommendation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government programs and services.