Civil Service Strengthens Accountability to Address Auditor General and PAC Recommendations

Following the publication of the Office of the Auditor General’s March 2026 report, “Summary of outstanding OAG and PAC recommendations”, the Office of the Deputy Governor has confirmed that the Civil Service has developed a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy to address outstanding Government Minutes, as well as the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommendations.

Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service Honourable Franz Manderson has stated that the strategy aims to resolve existing backlogs and establish a more efficient, transparent and sustainable system for managing recommendations in the future. He said that the strategy has been shared with both the Office of the Auditor General and the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and their feedback and further discussions have been invited.

An action plan was developed and submitted to the Office of the Auditor General to address the outstanding Government Minutes, in response to their recommendation.

In commenting on the matter, he noted “As a Civil Service with a proven track record of transparency, accountability and continuous improvement, we welcome the Auditor General’s and PAC’s recommendations as valuable insights to strengthen governance, enhance performance and better serve the public. We believe this strategy will be a game changer in improving how the Civil Service responds to, implements and reports on OAG and PAC recommendations. It also provides an excellent opportunity for increased collaboration between the Civil Service, the OAG and the PAC.”

He has also welcomed the Auditor General’s consolidation of recommendations into a single, comprehensive list, noting that it provides an enterprise-wide view of outstanding recommendations across the Civil Service.

The strategy further proposes that the Office of Auditor General builds on this recent development by creating a shared digital tracking tool containing all recommendations. The tool would be regularly updated by Chief Officers and made accessible to both the Office of the Auditor General and Office of the Deputy Governor, to support effective monitoring and oversight.

It introduces a coordinated, government-wide approach built around four key elements. These are a formal Civil Service policy for the preparation of Government Minutes, targeted approach to clearing the existing backlog of Government Minutes, structured plan to address outstanding recommendations from the OAG and PAC and a strengthened system for responding to and tracking implementation of recommendations across government.

It also establishes a policy aligned with the House of Parliament’s Standing Orders, to ensure Government Minutes are submitted within the required timeframe and for the backlog to be cleared within six months of implementation.

The Office of the Deputy Governor has said that it will continue to provide strategic leadership, coordination and oversight of the strategy. Chief Officers will play a central role in its implementation and will be responsible for updating the digital tool with the status of each recommendation, delivering agreed actions within timelines, documenting rationale where recommendations are not implemented and providing action plans and timelines for recommendations that are in progress or not yet started.