Jeremy Colman, Auditor General, said today:

“I share the Minister’s commitment to an improved system of regulation and inspection and endorse the report’s view that the new Wales Audit Office is a ‘positive step in the coordination of regulation and inspection in Wales.’ As a single audit and inspection body, the Wales Audit Office offers a more streamlined and effective approach to Welsh public sector scrutiny.

Inspection bodies should not confuse independence with isolation – whether in relation to inspected bodies or each other. The WAO is committed to working with all other auditors, inspectors and regulators to deliver the greatest possible force for improvement, while sustaining proper accountability of the providers of public services.”

Notes to Editors:

• The Minister’s statement, during today’s Assembly plenary, was in response to 21 recommendations made in the Local Government and Public Services Committee report “Inquiry into the Operation of the Public Services Regulation and Inspection Regime in Wales,” which was published in May.

• The Local Government and Public Services Committee’s inquiry was conducted through 2004 and 2005. The Audit Commission in Wales (a WAO predecessor organisation) contributed to the inquiry, providing both written and oral evidence.

• The Wales Audit Office (WAO) is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £19 billion of annual public expenditure.

• The WAO was created on 1st April 2005 following the passing of the Public Audit (Wales) Act, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.

Ends

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