Gover of NA

The implementation of recommendations from the National Audit Office (NAO) in the civil service reached 80 per cent, marginally exceeding the 78 per cent mark of both previous years, the NAO’s Annual Report for 2016 has found.

The recommendations that were due in 2017 from the previous year have now all been implemented, apart from a few justifiable exceptions.

Defining the publication as an important link in the chain of initiatives within public administration, Principal Permanent Secretary Cutajar said that the civil service had set itself challenging targets to deliver effective governance. However, he did note that ‘customs die hard’.

This is so for a few public employees, who, though expected to implement the necessary changes following audit recommendations, do not have the motivation and drive to change for the better,” Cutajar said.

The delegation of authority and the decentralisation of a number of functions to ministries, particularly in the areas of people management and resources, has also been implemented in order to ensure better accountability, he said.

The digitisation of the public administration has also assisted with improving efficiency.

Cutajar also noted that substantial investment was also being made in various sectors to transform public administration into a more dynamic, client-centric system.