Praise for NAO success in preserving public money
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Council of Representatives Speaker Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam commended the National Audit Office (NAO) for distinguished efforts in carrying out its duty to preserve public money.
Al Musallam also lauded NAO’s success to apply the highest degrees of integrity and professionalism, in accordance with the constitutional and legal provisions, to achieve the public interest.
The Speaker made the statements while receiving yesterday NAO Auditor-General, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who submitted to him the 16th NAO annual report for 2021-2022.
Al Musallam affirmed that consolidating the parliamentary supervisory role, preserving public money and developing all national action paths are among the priorities of the Council of Representatives, in light of the comprehensive development process, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He asserted that the NAO is an important part and a fundamental pillar in the institutional and legal oversight system that supports the work of the Council of Representatives.
Speaker Al Musallam noted that NAO reports contribute to achieving its mission and goals, by monitoring the safety and legality of the use of public money and its good management, raising the efficiency of the performance of the entities covered by the audit, and improving the quality of the services they provide, including the administrative aspects, by verifying the implementation of laws and administrative decisions and monitoring performance.
He added that the Council of Representatives will adopt a new methodology in studying, dealing and interacting with NAO reports to achieve the desired goals, under the rule of law and institutions, and to promote the values and principles of transparency and integrity.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed affirmed that NAO’s landmark achievements are the fruitful outcome of the sound directives of HM the King, and the constant interest of HRH Prince Salman, as well as of HRH’s directives to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations and remarks featuring in annual reports by the audited entities.
NAO Annual Report
Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed presented the 19th NAO Annual Report 2021/2022 to the Speaker and Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh. The entities subject to the NAO’s audit include ministries, directorates, governorates, municipalities, public organisations which constitute the administrative set-up of the State and entities attached thereto, the Shura Council, the Representatives’ Council, municipal councils, and companies in which the State holds more than 50% of their capital or guarantees them minimum profit or provides them with financial assistance and any other entity which His Majesty the King authorizes the NAO to monitor, in accordance with Article 4 of the NAO Law.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed stressed that the NAO’s audit work included various economic, social, service, health, environmental and other sectors, and adopted a comprehensive audit approach through the implementation of horizontal audit tasks.
He pointed out that during the past professional year 96 audit missions were completed, 140 reports were issued in addition to 98 follow-up reports to ensure that the audited entities implement the recommendations from previous years, and about 776 recommendations were issued.
The auditor general said that during 2021/2022 the NAO followed up on the implementation of its recommendations in its previous audit reports, which showed that the entities subject to its audit implemented or started to implement 79% of its recommendations.
He said that the NAO’s second follow-up work completed during this year showed that the entities covered by its audit implemented or started to implement 92% of the total recommendations.
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