Modernisation of Government Accounts Act and Accountability Day
The Court of Audit welcomes the government’s announcement that it has agreed to a modernisation of the Government Accounts Act.
The Court believes the modernisation will clarify access to information at the ministries and other central government bodies. It will also widen the Court’s powers to audit the beneficiaries of non-financial support (benefits in kind).
According to the Court’s President, Arno Visser, the modernisation is in keeping with a legal amendment under which Accountability Day will not fall on the third Wednesday in May if it is a public holiday or if the House of Representatives is in recess. In practice this will seldom happen. Visser: ‘The principle remains that the government has to account for itself to the House of Representatives on the third Wednesday in May.’
On Accountability Day the Minister of Finance submits the central government annual financial report and the ministries’ annual reports to the House of Representatives on behalf of the government and then submits the audit of the accounts to the President of the House. As part of the audit, the Court expresses an independent opinion on the central government accounts and on the operational management, financial management and the quality of the policy information that the ministers provide to parliament.
This year, Accountability Day will be Wednesday 18 May.