Welsh Affairs Select Committee Draft Public Audit Wales Bill Minutes Of Evidence 18 June 2003 Printed In Hc 763 PDF Download

Support is expressed for the draft Bill's main aim which is to create a new Welsh Audit Office under the Auditor General for Wales, covering local government and NHS bodies as well as the National Assembly for Wales and its sponsored bodies. The Committee makes a number of recommendations to improve transparency and accountability including: consideration of a wide statutory duty to be placed on the Auditor General for Wales to ensure sufficient regard to the view of all relevant interests concerning the local government value for money audit; and deletion of the clause which unduly restricts disclosure of information by local government auditors. It also highlights the need for the Auditor General to promote cross-border studies, which should be published as joint reports. Clarification is sought on a range of issues, such as NHS performance audit arrangements.