57.
The Director of Government Supplies has agreed that certain inconsistencies have occurred and he has informed me that steps have already been taken to ensure that they do not recur. The Director has also informed me that an internal audit team has been appointed to carry out a thorough investigation of the queries raised in the audit review and that he would await the team's detailed report before replying.
58.
Personal Emoluments. Review of departmental procedures for the calculation and recording of leave eligibility. The Government's annual expenditure on salaries in 1984-85 was more than $9,000 million and with the exception of those remunerated on the Government's model 1 pay scale and those with less than ten years service, all officers are eligible to receive a minimum of 30 days full-pay leave a year in the form of vacation and casual leave, which represents the equivalent of one month's salary. In view of the considerable expenditure represented by leave I have, as part of my audit of the Government's payroll, carried out reviews at a number of departments on the records maintained and the procedures in force relating to the calculation, approval and recording of leave earned and leave taken. Irregularities were observed in four departments where it was found that departmental procedures laid down were not sufficiently comprehensive and the internal checks carried out were inadequate to ensure that the records were accurately maintained. I was particularly concerned about the overstatement of vacation and casual leave earned by the staff of the Engineering Development Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Urban Services Department, as a result of miscalculations.
59.
The Director of Engineering Development has recently completed a detailed check of all leave records for the period April 1983 to December 1984 and has reported that errors were found in the leave records of 850 officers out of a total establishment of 3,700 and the cost of the errors, quantified in money terms, amounted to $123,000. The Director of Engineering Development has corrected the errors found in this period but because of the difficulties involved he is reluctant to make a detailed check of the period prior to April 1983 and has sought the approval of the Deputy Financial Secretary not to make any further checks. This request is presently under consideration by the Deputy Financial Secretary.
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