AG Chamber Report... Ku Cheo Pi Bo Mor

globalcookie · 01-08-2016, 08:11 PM

SINGAPORE
AGO report: Workers' Party calls for transparency in remedial actions
Posted 01 Aug 2016 11:48 Updated 01 Aug 2016 12:11

ENLARGECAPTION
679 Email More
SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party on Monday (Aug 1) said that the multiple lapses in public sector spending and governance flagged in the Auditor-General's Office report released last Tuesday are "matters of grave public concern" and should be adequately addressed by the Government.

The Opposition party said in its press release that of particular concern are "recurring lapses taking place under one ministry".

Referring to the lapses reported of the Ministry of Education, the WP said that more than half of the scholars selected by the AGO for test-checks failed to fulfil their scholarship obligations to Singapore, as well as the "worrying trend" in the pattern of lapses in procurement, tender and giving preferential access to a related party across several institutions.

The Ministry of Education was pinpointed in the AGO report to have not maintained oversight on the monitoring and enforcement of scholarship bonds, as well as having inadequate controls to ensure that tuition fee loans and study loans were promptly recovered.

The WP also highlighted the lapses by Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Home Affairs in its press release.

"WP calls for transparency on the interventions that will be applied to correct systemic lapses and repair the damage done," said Mr Leon Perera, deputy chair of the party's Media team. "For example, will forensic audits be conducted, independent accountants attached to the relevant agencies or liquidated damages pursued?

"Getting to the root cause of systemic lapses and instituting preventive and deterrent measures are critical in ensuring that public funds are not misspent," the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament added.

Mr Perera said WP MPs will be filing several questions for Ministers to answer at the upcoming Parliament sitting.

---------------

]THE minority trusted party has always been thrashed... today, the table is turned.

Since the BEST GOVERNMENT who said they are transparent kept hammering WP over 1 TC lapse, how is this EFFICIENT government going to account and be transparent for the YEARS AFTER YEARS OF LAPSES?????

streetsmart73 · 01-08-2016, 10:37 PM

boh tai zhi one

All above ground mah

Honest mistakes again lor

No head will roll; biz as usual

We are paying for the best so we are getting the best as "declared"

loveikan · 02-08-2016, 01:04 AM

Yalor.

This is not something new. Every audit come up almost the same thing. What has been remedy? The answer is clear and nothing happen at all.

If Opp kena then jialat liao. News would appear everywhere u go and turn to.

foxwagon · 02-08-2016, 09:50 PM

HDB built so many bin centres, NAC should had consulted HDB on the $470,000 bin centre and saved on $410,000 on the consultants' fees.

streetsmart73 · 02-08-2016, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxwagon

HDB built so many bin centres, NAC should had consulted HDB on the $470,000 bin centre and saved on $410,000 on the consultants' fees.

Aiyoh! NAC sees HDB no up mah

hkh · 03-08-2016, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetsmart73

Aiyoh! NAC sees HDB no up mah

NAC people no stay in HDB flats I guessed.........

streetsmart73 · 03-08-2016, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkh

NAC people no stay in HDB flats I guessed.........

could also be foreign talents

globalcookie · 21-01-2017, 06:31 AM

Public accounts watchdog tells agencies to rectify lapses in AGO report
Posted 18 Jan 2017 16:48 Updated 18 Jan 2017 23:22
VIDEOSPHOTOS

h
845 Email More
SINGAPORE: The Public Accounts Committee has told several ministries and agencies to address lapses and rectify irregularities cited in the Auditor-General’s reports for financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16.

In a report submitted to Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 17), the committee – comprising eight Members of Parliament (MPs), and chaired by East Coast GRC MP Jessica Tan – noted that there were a number of instances where processes were in place but not adhered to due to weak governance.

Although the agencies acknowledged the lapses and took action to rectify the irregularities, it is important to put in place measures to prevent recurrence of the lapses, the committee said.

It also called for heads of agencies to “set the tone at the top” to ensure adherence to processes and controls.

“This is important as public sector agencies use significant amounts of public funds for a wide range of schemes, programmes, operations and projects,” it said. “Agencies should ensure that their officers understand the importance of and principles behind the financial controls and governance practices, and comply with them.”

HDB: INADEQUATE CONTROL OF CAR PARK OPERATIONS

Among the agencies cited was the Housing & Development Board (HDB), which the AGO report said did not have adequate oversight of car parks outsourced to commercial operators.

In a check of five HDB car parks at industrial estates between April 2014 and August 2015, the AGO found 113,103 instances where vehicles were not charged parking fees, resulting in an estimated loss of S$159,000.

HDB had made police reports against the motorists who deliberately evaded parking fees, but the committee questioned whether the agency could have taken action without having to refer the cases to the police.

The Ministry of National Development (MND), which oversees HDB, explained that the car parks in industrial estates were not gazetted under the Parking Places Act. A review of the need to gazette these car parks will be completed this month, it said.

In the meantime, the rules have been amended to allow HDB to take action against motorists who evade parking charges. As of Aug 31 last year, HDB issued 199 parking offence notices to such motorists. Convicted cases will also be publicised as a deterrence to other motorists, and testing is under way on additional humps and more efficient sensors to prevent tailgating of vehicles when exiting car parks, the ministry said.

LTA: UNDER-COLLECTION OF TOLLS AT CHECKPOINTS

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) was cited in the AGO report for its “weak controls” over the collection of tolls at the Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints, resulting in an estimated loss of S$13.93 million for FY2014/15.

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) told the Public Accounts Committee that the collection system at the checkpoints was not linked to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) system, allowing motorists to clear immigration without paying the correct fees.

LTA estimated that the loss in tolls could be 10 per cent of the total collected, or about S$7 million a year on average.

To address this, LTA has increased its front-end manpower at the checkpoints and increased penalties for evasion of toll and fees since Aug 1 last year, MOT said. LTA will also work on a trial to link its collection system to ICA’s system, and is targeting to roll this out by FY2017/18.

LTA will also be amending the Road Traffic Act to prohibit the entry or exit of foreign vehicles with unpaid toll and fees by the first quarter of this year.

NYP: NO PROPER GOVERNANCE OF SUBSIDIARY

The audit of Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) found that the school did not have a proper governance framework to manage transactions with its subsidiary Nanyang Polytechnic International (NYPi), including conflict of interest situations.

Some NYP board members with vested interests in NYPi were involved in making decisions such as approving a funding model for NYPi. The school also did not charge market rates for premises used by NYPi, and had given the subsidiary hidden subsidies and excess funds totalling S$8.38 million.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) told the Public Accounts Committee that it has asked NYP for a full report to account for the lapses, and has briefed all statutory boards under its purview. NYP has also taken measures to prevent conflict of interest situations, the ministry said.

MOE: LAPSES IN RECOVERING LOANS

The AGO report also found that MOE did not have adequate controls of the recovery of tuition fee loans and study loans by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

As at Jun 30, 2015, the outstanding balance of loans due for recovery from former students of the two universities was S$228.04 million, the report said.

The ministry said both universities have worked with banks to recover loans from students who have graduated or left the universities. MOE has also revised its procedures on the review of long outstanding loans, and now requires banks to submit information on unrecoverable loans on a quarterly basis.

MOE was also found to have disbursed an extra S$4 million to NTU’s sinking fund over nine years. The ministry told the committee it has since recovered this amount.

NAC: INADEQUATE ASSESSMENT OF BIN CENTRE CONSULTANCY COST

The AGO report also cited the National Arts Council (NAC) for paying a consultancy fee of S$410,000 for the construction of a centralised bin centre costing S$470,000.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), which oversees the NAC, had explained that the construction of the bin centre was more complex and required significantly more design expertise, technical consultancy services and effort to coordinate with multiple parties.

The committee rapped the ministry over the lack of documents to show that the reasons for the high consultancy fee were considered, and told the ministry to further justify the fee paid.

MCCY explained that the scope of the consultancy went beyond design features and services for the bin centre, and involved a technical feasibility study for a centralised refuse collection centre serving a number of heritage institutions in the Civic District. It also confirmed that it had documentary evidence of these consultancy works.

The NAC has also appointed the Centre for Public Project Management, a unit under the Ministry of Finance (MOF), to ensure that its project management practices complied with the Government’s instructions and the Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract.

- CNA/cy

streetsmart73 · 21-01-2017, 11:54 AM

sup sup sui

Biz as usual hor

No head rolling too

hkh · 21-01-2017, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetsmart73

sup sup sui

Biz as usual hor

No head rolling too

It's an honest mistake......Big Fish then bo tai zi.......small prawns might be removed.........

01-08-2016, 08:11 PM	#1
globalcookie Dragon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,446	AG Chamber Report... Ku Cheo Pi Bo Mor SINGAPORE AGO report: Workers' Party calls for transparency in remedial actions Posted 01 Aug 2016 11:48 Updated 01 Aug 2016 12:11 ENLARGECAPTION 679 Email More SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party on Monday (Aug 1) said that the multiple lapses in public sector spending and governance flagged in the Auditor-General's Office report released last Tuesday are "matters of grave public concern" and should be adequately addressed by the Government. The Opposition party said in its press release that of particular concern are "recurring lapses taking place under one ministry". Referring to the lapses reported of the Ministry of Education, the WP said that more than half of the scholars selected by the AGO for test-checks failed to fulfil their scholarship obligations to Singapore, as well as the "worrying trend" in the pattern of lapses in procurement, tender and giving preferential access to a related party across several institutions. The Ministry of Education was pinpointed in the AGO report to have not maintained oversight on the monitoring and enforcement of scholarship bonds, as well as having inadequate controls to ensure that tuition fee loans and study loans were promptly recovered. The WP also highlighted the lapses by Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Home Affairs in its press release. "WP calls for transparency on the interventions that will be applied to correct systemic lapses and repair the damage done," said Mr Leon Perera, deputy chair of the party's Media team. "For example, will forensic audits be conducted, independent accountants attached to the relevant agencies or liquidated damages pursued? "Getting to the root cause of systemic lapses and instituting preventive and deterrent measures are critical in ensuring that public funds are not misspent," the Non-Constituency Member of Parliament added. Mr Perera said WP MPs will be filing several questions for Ministers to answer at the upcoming Parliament sitting. --------------- ]THE minority trusted party has always been thrashed... today, the table is turned. Since the BEST GOVERNMENT who said they are transparent kept hammering WP over 1 TC lapse, how is this EFFICIENT government going to account and be transparent for the YEARS AFTER YEARS OF LAPSES?????

01-08-2016, 10:37 PM	#2
streetsmart73 Hi there !!! 123 Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 3,895	boh tai zhi one All above ground mah Honest mistakes again lor No head will roll; biz as usual We are paying for the best so we are getting the best as "declared" Last edited by streetsmart73; 01-08-2016 at 10:39 PM.

02-08-2016, 01:04 AM	#3
loveikan Arofanatic Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 384	Yalor. This is not something new. Every audit come up almost the same thing. What has been remedy? The answer is clear and nothing happen at all. If Opp kena then jialat liao. News would appear everywhere u go and turn to.

02-08-2016, 09:50 PM	#4
foxwagon Dragon Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,181	HDB built so many bin centres, NAC should had consulted HDB on the $470,000 bin centre and saved on $410,000 on the consultants' fees.

21-01-2017, 06:31 AM	#8
globalcookie Dragon Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1,446	Public accounts watchdog tells agencies to rectify lapses in AGO report Posted 18 Jan 2017 16:48 Updated 18 Jan 2017 23:22 VIDEOSPHOTOS h 845 Email More SINGAPORE: The Public Accounts Committee has told several ministries and agencies to address lapses and rectify irregularities cited in the Auditor-General’s reports for financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16. In a report submitted to Parliament on Tuesday (Jan 17), the committee – comprising eight Members of Parliament (MPs), and chaired by East Coast GRC MP Jessica Tan – noted that there were a number of instances where processes were in place but not adhered to due to weak governance. Although the agencies acknowledged the lapses and took action to rectify the irregularities, it is important to put in place measures to prevent recurrence of the lapses, the committee said. It also called for heads of agencies to “set the tone at the top” to ensure adherence to processes and controls. “This is important as public sector agencies use significant amounts of public funds for a wide range of schemes, programmes, operations and projects,” it said. “Agencies should ensure that their officers understand the importance of and principles behind the financial controls and governance practices, and comply with them.” HDB: INADEQUATE CONTROL OF CAR PARK OPERATIONS Among the agencies cited was the Housing & Development Board (HDB), which the AGO report said did not have adequate oversight of car parks outsourced to commercial operators. In a check of five HDB car parks at industrial estates between April 2014 and August 2015, the AGO found 113,103 instances where vehicles were not charged parking fees, resulting in an estimated loss of S$159,000. HDB had made police reports against the motorists who deliberately evaded parking fees, but the committee questioned whether the agency could have taken action without having to refer the cases to the police. The Ministry of National Development (MND), which oversees HDB, explained that the car parks in industrial estates were not gazetted under the Parking Places Act. A review of the need to gazette these car parks will be completed this month, it said. In the meantime, the rules have been amended to allow HDB to take action against motorists who evade parking charges. As of Aug 31 last year, HDB issued 199 parking offence notices to such motorists. Convicted cases will also be publicised as a deterrence to other motorists, and testing is under way on additional humps and more efficient sensors to prevent tailgating of vehicles when exiting car parks, the ministry said. LTA: UNDER-COLLECTION OF TOLLS AT CHECKPOINTS The Land Transport Authority (LTA) was cited in the AGO report for its “weak controls” over the collection of tolls at the Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints, resulting in an estimated loss of S$13.93 million for FY2014/15. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) told the Public Accounts Committee that the collection system at the checkpoints was not linked to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) system, allowing motorists to clear immigration without paying the correct fees. LTA estimated that the loss in tolls could be 10 per cent of the total collected, or about S$7 million a year on average. To address this, LTA has increased its front-end manpower at the checkpoints and increased penalties for evasion of toll and fees since Aug 1 last year, MOT said. LTA will also work on a trial to link its collection system to ICA’s system, and is targeting to roll this out by FY2017/18. LTA will also be amending the Road Traffic Act to prohibit the entry or exit of foreign vehicles with unpaid toll and fees by the first quarter of this year. NYP: NO PROPER GOVERNANCE OF SUBSIDIARY The audit of Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) found that the school did not have a proper governance framework to manage transactions with its subsidiary Nanyang Polytechnic International (NYPi), including conflict of interest situations. Some NYP board members with vested interests in NYPi were involved in making decisions such as approving a funding model for NYPi. The school also did not charge market rates for premises used by NYPi, and had given the subsidiary hidden subsidies and excess funds totalling S$8.38 million. The Ministry of Education (MOE) told the Public Accounts Committee that it has asked NYP for a full report to account for the lapses, and has briefed all statutory boards under its purview. NYP has also taken measures to prevent conflict of interest situations, the ministry said. MOE: LAPSES IN RECOVERING LOANS The AGO report also found that MOE did not have adequate controls of the recovery of tuition fee loans and study loans by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). As at Jun 30, 2015, the outstanding balance of loans due for recovery from former students of the two universities was S$228.04 million, the report said. The ministry said both universities have worked with banks to recover loans from students who have graduated or left the universities. MOE has also revised its procedures on the review of long outstanding loans, and now requires banks to submit information on unrecoverable loans on a quarterly basis. MOE was also found to have disbursed an extra S$4 million to NTU’s sinking fund over nine years. The ministry told the committee it has since recovered this amount. NAC: INADEQUATE ASSESSMENT OF BIN CENTRE CONSULTANCY COST The AGO report also cited the National Arts Council (NAC) for paying a consultancy fee of S$410,000 for the construction of a centralised bin centre costing S$470,000. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), which oversees the NAC, had explained that the construction of the bin centre was more complex and required significantly more design expertise, technical consultancy services and effort to coordinate with multiple parties. The committee rapped the ministry over the lack of documents to show that the reasons for the high consultancy fee were considered, and told the ministry to further justify the fee paid. MCCY explained that the scope of the consultancy went beyond design features and services for the bin centre, and involved a technical feasibility study for a centralised refuse collection centre serving a number of heritage institutions in the Civic District. It also confirmed that it had documentary evidence of these consultancy works. The NAC has also appointed the Centre for Public Project Management, a unit under the Ministry of Finance (MOF), to ensure that its project management practices complied with the Government’s instructions and the Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract. - CNA/cy

21-01-2017, 11:54 AM	#9
streetsmart73 Hi there !!! 123 Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 3,895	sup sup sui Biz as usual hor No head rolling too

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)