PAC: Improving in Public Management, But ...
Speaking to the press later in the afternoon, members of the committee whose task is to examine the expenditure, based on the audit report, wanted to have a broader mandate and more power that would allow them to recommend sanctions against officials who failed to comply with established procedures.
In its report, the committee recommends that disciplinary actions and exemplary sanctions are taken against officials who chaired the organizing committee for the International ICT / BPO Conference which was held in Mauritius in October 2011. This, says the committee, for non-compliance of the parameters established in the Civil Service, for frivolous spending of public funds and a lack of transparency concerning the organization of the conference.
"Officials will be held accountable"
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was filed Tuesday on the table of the National Assembly a report on public management, questions about his future, citing a limited mandate, up to compare him to a toothless bulldog. The Committee therefore recommends that the Standing Rules and Orders of the National Assembly be amended to give it more power.
"The revitalization of the PAC, with an expanded mandate and greater financial and technical resources, will allow the state to better manage its costs," said the committee. The PAC says it wants to focus on "accountabilité" as "this is the case in India." "Officials who have sinned will be held accountable", says the committee.
Recommendations for a bite PAC are: (i) allow the committee to review the estimates of annual expenditures and monitor the progress of projects, (ii) to be able to examine the current expenditure and not only expenses "ex post facto" (iii) be empowered to comb through the costs incurred by private companies owned by the government and (iv) to have the power to recommend the imposition of sanctions against officials against whom evidence "prima facie" case of negligence has been established. In an effort to promote "accountabilité", the Committee recommends the public hearings on the audit results. This, says the committee will put additional pressure on officials, awakening their sense of responsibility. The report must be made public even before it was tabled in the National Assembly. This, in view of a recent case where the report was ready but was never published because Parliament was prorogued, leading to the dissolution of the committee then.
Computerize and centralize the welfare system
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) argues that separate files have been maintained in respect of beneficiaries of pensions and social benefits. This practice was not conducive to proper control and has even led to cases where beneficiaries had more than Rs 100,000. In 2011, some 4,200 immediate payments, totaling a sum of Rs 1668 million have been processed and approved by a single officer and the immediate payments amounted to Rs 80,738. Thus, the PAC recommends the implementation of a centralized emergency computerized system to ensure that payments of both social benefits are in strict accordance with the eligibility criteria.
Revision of the 'Scheme' of examination fees of SC and HSC
The implementation of the 'Scheme' for the examination fees for SC and HSC required large investments of the Department and, therefore, considerable sums were used for the payment of overtime to the tune of about Rs 5 1 million to more than 300 officers for the period from February 7, 2011 to March 26, 2011 among others.
The PAC therefore recommends revising the formula for payment of examination fees in order to allow a more efficient monitoring. And hopes that the control procedures for the reconciliation of applications are supported by a set payment slip generated by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. The PAC recommends more effective coordination for better control.
Well-being of the elderly
PAC shows that the medical certificates were not always supported the requests of home visits for bedridden people, over 75 years. The PAC noted that the criteria for distribution of home visits to doctors were not properly managed. In 2011, the doctor touched the less for it was entitled to Rs 250,000 while the highest paid doctor pocketed Rs 1.6 million.
Environment: delays in work
"Concerning the Ministry of Environment, the work has often been delayed and the date of completion has been revised several times. There is also inadequate control on ongoing projects. "It is noted that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which recommends the department to strictly abide by the terms and conditions of contracts in order to safeguard the public interest. The PAC notes that several documents tenders were incomprehensible and scope of work contracts had to be modified after the grant date. Also, support for mandatory tendering documents were missing when submitted as Trading License and Tax Account Number. The PAC requires verification of all documents before awarding contracts. Entrepreneurs who do not meet the requirements must be punished.
The acquisition of the caravan 'Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System', the PAC noted that several items missing and no provision has been made to the supplier for the maintenance and after-sales service. The PAC recommends that the payment to suppliers is made after the department took possession of the entire equipment.
Schools: Disservice
In the education sector, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) notes that a particular contractor provides cleaning services in 215 primary schools, 75 colleges and other administrative offices of the Ministry of Education. After a call for tenders, the 'Central Procurement Board has awarded the contract to the lowest bidder for all 22 deals. "The services provided by the contractor are not satisfactory due to lack of resources," the report says. The PAC recommends that proper monitoring and establish good communication between the authorities concerned to improve services. The report states that a sum of Rs 208 million has been given to the Department of Education in 2009 for minor work in public schools. This grant was intended to improve school infrastructure, while providing jobs. However, the process of selection of contractors was so tedious that only Rs 88 million was spent in 2010.
Police Abuse
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has reported four recommendations in various sectors of the police force to ensure a better service and to prevent abuse. The committee recommends inter alia that the procedures 'Police Catering Stores' are computerized to increase efficiency and control in this area. Even more than Rs 55 million had been spent on food distributed in four 'Catering Stores' police. It was noted that there are no receipts or input on food reserves in the SMF and 'Main Catering Store' Line Barracks. The Committee recommends that the Director of Audit focuses on accounts that have not been updated for a long time. The Committee took note of the failures on the supply of uniforms for the police. A budget of Rs 33.5 million was allocated in 2011 for obtaining uniforms. Thus, the committee recommends that the 'Public Procurement Act' to be reviewed for the exercise of obtaining uniform could be done more effectively and more quickly by a qualified and adequate staff.
