2022-03-09
The National Audit Office, when publishing a report on the implementation of the public audit recommendations, stressed that the responsible authorities still lacked the responsibility to implement them in a timely manner. Although the audited entities have taken action to implement the recommendations, there are still delays in the implementation of 19 recommendations of high importance. The plan for the implementation of the provisions of the Government Programme envisaged the implementation of more than half of the delayed key recommendations in the next two years, however the National Audit Office notes that this should have been done before 2020.
“Public sector bodies should consider the implementation of the recommendations of the National Audit Office as a matter of honour. By providing them we discuss with the entities what is lacking in order to achieve the objectives of the state and to bring about positive changes both in public administration and in our society, by what means and by when the situation can be changed. However, we can see that there is still a lack of responsibility to take the agreed actions in time and to eliminate the problems and inconsistencies identified in our audits", — says the Auditor General Mindaugas Macijauskas.
As regards the progress in the second half of 2021, eleven draft laws adopted by the Seimas at the autumn session should contribute to fundamental changes: the pre-financing of programmes, funds or institutions by the part of taxes and other revenue established by law has been waived; provision is made for the financing of social security benefits with the characteristics of social assistance from the State budget; a process for examining pre-consumer contracts has been established; the promotion funding of higher education institutions for the performance of studies has been introduced, etc.
The assessment of progress still shows that 14 % of recommendations of high importance have been overdue. Their implementation is important in order to achieve the changes necessary for improving the legislative process, improving the provision and quality of personal health care, social and other public services, ensuring inclusive education, increasing the participation of persons with disabilities in the open labour market, strengthening crime prevention, state environmental control and supervision, and efficient management of state information resources.
Through its audits, the National Audit Office issues recommendations to the institutions and monitors the planned actions to implement them. The report on the status of implementation of the key recommendations is submitted to the Seimas twice a year. The website of the National Audit Office is open to the public on the implementation of all the recommendations of the performed audits, which can be found in Lithuanian at: https://bit.ly/2WiG4PM.