Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Auditor shocked by Home Office's accounts

Important story in the Times:

"THE Home Office has lost control of its finances and its accounts are in a mess, according to a report published by the public spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office is so alarmed at what it has uncovered that it has refused to give its approval to the department’s flawed financial records.

The Permanent Secretary at the time the trouble developed was Sir John Gieve. He left the Home Office in December to join the Bank of England as Deputy Governor in charge of financial stability.

It is the first time in modern history that the nation’s Auditor General has delivered such an indictment on the financial records of a key government department. "

The auditor notes that part of the problem was the introduction of a new computer system to make finances more efficient. Yes the same Home Office wants to design and implement the most complex information system ever created - the ID card system - and they can't manage their own system to count their own money. Would that give anyone cause for concern by any chance?

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