Reactive and rapid audit reporting: using facts-only reports to assist public accountability
Background and objectives
Background
Since 2014 the United Kingdom National Audit Office (NAO) has conducted investigations to establish the underlying facts in circumstances where concerns have been raised with it, or in response to intelligence that it has gathered through its wider audit and assurance work. Investigations report facts – they do not report an audit opinion. Investigations provide value to Parliament and the public by disclosing and clearly brigading information the National Audit Office has statutory access to, in a way that allows the reader to form their own judgements on the stewardship of public funds, the performance of publicly-funded organisations, or particular projects or programmes. They address specific concerns, and are narrowly scoped to facilitate rapid reporting.
Investigations can therefore be produced more quickly, more cost-effectively and with just as much impact and influence as the NAO derives from its traditional audit and assurance products, such as financial and value-for-money audit. We are increasingly seeing Members of Parliament and the public calling on the NAO to investigate issues of public concern into a wide range of public-sector activities, in order to contribute to a live debate – rather than after the opportunity has passed.
Interest in our investigations activities from our peers has grown noticeably in the last few years, as other Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) seek to leverage their unique public-sector finance insight in pursuit of transparency and accountability for public funds. The NAO has undertaken over 40 different investigations and we have received a number of enquiries from other SAIs who are looking to use a similar approach. This Project Group provides an
opportunity for SAIs with similar interests and areas of development to gather and share different approaches, and for all to learn from the successes, and challenges, which have characterised the development of similar audit approaches in their organisation.
Objective
The objective for this project group is to share best practice, and identify common challenges and associated risks, in the development and practice of rapid, facts-only auditing.
Contact
Deanna.Neesham@nao.org.uk
020 7798 7664Documentation
Filters
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ToR EUROSAI Project Group on the introduction of reactive and rapid audit reporting
Go to detailToR EUROSAI Project Group on the introduction of reactive and rapid audit reporting
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Output EUROSAI Project Group on the introduction of reactive and rapid audit reporting
Go to detailOutput EUROSAI Project Group on the introduction of reactive and rapid audit reporting
