Works Department lacks accountability, inquiry told

 By JEFFREY ELAPA

THE Public Accounts Committee inquiry into the Works Department has found that it lacked accountability and proper reporting mechanism.

The inquiry based on the Auditor-General’s report of 2011-12 also found discrepancies in statutory reports such as the monthly performance report, which did not have a format.

It further found that although a performance report was delivered, there was no system of evaluation in 2010.

The internal audit team in 2010 did not find the submission of an annual plan to the secretary, the inquiry found.

It also found that the internal audit section of the department was understaffed and needed to be equipped.

The budgetary and financial control system used by the Department of Works  (oracle) computer system was different to the PAGS system used by the department of Finance. This leads to incomparable expenditure information that is inflated, the inquiry found.

It showed that the records had not be reconciled and budgets failed, a serious breach of the Appropriation Act and the Public Finance Act, with the overriding risk of undetectable fraud and misuse.

PAC chairman John Hickey said that in 2009, bank reconciliation from the Boroko drawing account found that it had not been reconciled since 2003.

He said as a result, unpresentedcheques totalling K37 million were not cleared while the deposit of K3 million were not in the general ledger.