Audit and inspection of local authorities

Audit and inspection of local authorities

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Communities and Local Government Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-07-07

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 9780215560384

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Local authority control of audit and performance provides opportunities to improve value for money and to focus more closely on local priorities. However, there are significant risks to accountability for public money unless new legal and practical arrangements are put in place to uphold the vital principle of auditor independence. Until now the Audit Commission has been the regulator, commissioner and major provider of local government audit services (undertaking 70% of the local government audit and commissioning the remaining 30% under contract from five private audit firms). Under the changes proposed, local government will in future appoint their own auditors. The Government plans to introduce a public audit bill in the autumn. The Committee argues this legislation must set out a number of key principles to govern public audit arrangements in the future: strict adherence to the principle of auditor independence; a majority of independent members on any local audit committee; additional safeguards to ensure the continued effectiveness of public interest reporting; a proportionate and risk based approach to the scope of local government audit - to permit local innovation and application, particularly with regards to local value for money work. The Committee also welcomes the LGA's proposals for sector-led performance management, but calls on the Government to clarify arrangements for intervention in the exceptional cases of serious corporate or service failure. It also repeats its call for the Government to examine the contribution which robust local government scrutiny arrangements could make to improving local government performance.


Scrutinizing Public Expenditures

Scrutinizing Public Expenditures

Author:

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 39

ISBN-13:

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The purpose of this paper is to deepen David McGee's analysis of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and to define PAC success and identify those factors that impact on PAC performance.


The Executive and Public Law

The Executive and Public Law

Author: Paul P. Craig

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13:

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This book examines executive power in the United Kingdom from a British and from a distinctively Scottish perspective. There are chapters on the four common law jurisdictions of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States and on the four civil law jurisdictions of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and on the EU.


The Overseers

The Overseers

Author: David G. McGee, QC

Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)

Published: 2002-07-20

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13:

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This report is the result of the meetings of a study group organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association with some participation by the World Bank. The members of the study group are members of public accounts committees, or PACs, in Australia, Botswana, Canada, India, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and the UK. The aim of the group was to assess the operation of PACs and define their role in promoting good government, with consideration of issues that include accountability, PAC organization, problems peculiar to smaller legislatures, international cooperation, and information exchange. Not indexed. Distributed by Stylus. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Internal Audit Quality

Internal Audit Quality

Author: Sally-Anne Pitt

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-09-29

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 1118715519

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Deliver increased value by embedding quality into internal audit activities Internal Audit Quality: Developing a Quality Assurance and Improvement Program is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to better practice internal auditing. Written by a global expert in audit quality, this guide is the first to provide complete coverage of the elements that comprise an effective internal audit quality assurance and improvement program. Readers will find practical solutions for monitoring and measuring internal audit performance drawn from The IIA's International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, and complemented by advice and case studies from leading audit practitioners from five different continents. Major corporate and financial collapses over the past decade have challenged the value of internal audit. With an increased focus on internal audit's role in good governance, management is increasingly demanding that internal audit provides assurance of the quality of its own activities. The IIA standards provide a framework for audit quality in the form of mandatory guidance . Recent research indicates that the majority of internal audit functions do not fully comply with the standards and, as a result, are not servicing the needs of their organizations as well as they might. Internal Audit Quality offers a roadmap to internal audit quality, providing readers the guidance they need to: Embed quality into all elements of internal audit from strategic and operational planning down to day-to-day tasks Create well-defined internal audit programs and procedures Independently self-assess internal audit quality and performance Conform with the IIA standards and better practice Provide assurance over internal audit efficiency and effectiveness Deliver value by meeting stakeholder expectations As a key component of good governance, internal audit is on the rise. The days of retrospective, compliance-focused auditing is a thing of the past. Organizations expect more of internal audit, and many internal audit activities are accepting the challenge. Rather than relying on audit supervision and external assessments, modern auditors are embedding quality into audit activities to create effective programs. For the auditor looking to distinguish themselves as leading edge, Internal Audit Quality provides the guidance that enables the right work, at the right time, in the right way.