27.
A review team to review the revenue collection procedures was established within the Lands Department in January 1984 with the following terms of reference:
-
to carry out a critical review of the existing revenue system and procedures in the Lands Department;
to make recommendations for the establishment of a reliable system and set of procedures for the collecting and prompt accounting of revenue owed to the Government under existing land policies. The recommendations should
place the main emphasis on reliability but subject to this due regard should be paid to efficiency and economy in the use of
resources; and
- to prepare action plans for the implementation
of the recommendations.
The review team made its report in June 1984. The report contained a number of important detailed recommendations to eliminate inherent weaknesses, to improve the procedures and to increase the efficiency of the revenue collection system, and identified several areas requiring further study.
28.
Substantial progress has been made in the implementation of the three main recommendations of the review team, namely the setting up of a uniform review system, the overhaul of the file movement system and the mechanization of demand note preparation procedures. New review registers and. review pages have been introduced for all new files and for old cases which have come up for review but the complete checking of existing files will not be completed until the filing system in all the District Lands Offices has been overhauled. Eight clerical officers are engaged in the overhaul of the file movement system and the exercise has been completed in two District Lands Offices. Mechanization of demand note preparation procedures has been completed for the Lands Department Headquarters and a pilot implementation of the system for District Lands Offices has been carried out in one District Lands office. Good progress has also been made on the other recommendations of the review team. particular, the exercise to introduce a check list in each case file has been completed and a draft manual of guidance for officers concerned with each step of the procedures relating to revenue collection (and expenditure control) has been issued to interested parties for comments.
r.