For Immediate Release
March 30, 2006
Auditor General seeks further improvements in performance reporting to strengthen government accountability
VICTORIA – The Auditor General Wayne Strelioff today released his fifth annual assessment of the quality of government’s performance reporting, entitled “Building Better Reports: Our Assessment of the 2004/05 Annual Service Plan Reports of Government.” The assessment covers annual reports of 20 selected ministries and Crown agencies, as well as the government-wide Strategic Plan Report.
“I felt it was appropriate to look back at what progress has been made, and to what else should be done to give the people of British Columbia and their elected representatives a more complete picture of how government is performing,” said Strelioff
Since government committed ministries and Crown agencies to publish annual reports in 2000 significant progress has been made. However, there is still a long way to go. “We are seeing the gap widen between the quality of ministry and Crown agency reports” said Strelioff, “While some Crown agency reports are coming close to telling a complete performance story, ministry reports and the government-wide report continue to fall well short.” He went on, “At the current pace of change, fulsome and transparent reporting on government’s performance is still several years to come.”
This year’s assessment selected those organizations that will be significantly involved in delivering services covered by government’s “Five Great Goals”, announced in February 2005. The report moves the focus to overall themes emerging from the individual assessments. “Government is complex” said Strelioff, “legislators and the public need information on results that clearly shows whether government’s stated priorities are being delivered, regardless of which organizations are delivering them.”
Strelioff concluded “In my report I’ve acknowledged that BC has come a long way in a short time. However, there are further changes that need to be made to ensure BC remains ahead of the curve.”
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2005/06 Report #10 - Building Better Reports: Our Review of the 2004/05 Annual Service Plan Reports of Government.
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This report is available: On the Internet at the Office of the Auditor General homepage: http://bcauditor.com/AuditorGeneral.htm |
By contacting: Office of the Auditor
General
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Toll-free enquiries by dialling Enquiry BC at 1 800 663-7867 (in Vancouver 604 660-2421) and requesting a transfer to 387-6803.
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Auditor General Wayne Strelioff’s 6 Recommendations for Building Better Reports
We recommend that:
1. Government clearly explain in its plans and reports which organizations are delivering its priorities and how an overall picture of their performance is provided.
2. All government organizations produce annual plans and reports, and that government consider providing reports on the performance of all of these organizations to committees of the Legislative Assembly.
3. All government organizations meet the reporting principles endorsed by the Public Accounts Committee.
4. The annual reports of all ministries and Crown agencies go to committees of the Legislative Assembly.
5. Improved financial information is included in the government-wide and ministry annual reports, and in a way that links it more effectively to non-financial performance.
6. A senior government official is made executive sponsor for performance reporting across government, and that the BC Reporting Principles become a part of the way government is managed on a day-today basis.