THE Auditor General’s Report on the public accounts of Guyana and those of ministries, departments and regions for the year 2010 was yesterday presented to Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Clarissa Riehl, by Auditor General Ag, Deodat Sharma, at the Parliament Building, Brickdam. Sharma said that the Audit Office has once again met its statutory deadline for the presentation of the report, on the day of its statutory deadline. In 2010, the Audit Office presented the reports of the public accounts for 2008 and 2009.            
Sharma said that planning for the interim audit for 2011 has already commenced, and the Audit Office is again aiming to meet its deadline.            
With regard to the operations of the Audit Office, a new section has been established called the Value For Money (VFM) audit, which completed two reports, “An assessment of the living conditions of residents of the Palms Geriatric Institution” and “A review of the old age pension programme.” Additionally, this unit is currently working on “A review of the operations of the National Board and National Procurement and Tender Administration”, which is in its reporting stage, and “An assessment of the management and control of drugs and medical supplies at the Ministry of Health” which is in its execution stage.          
Last year, the Audit Office embarked on introducing a risk-based approach to auditing and has improved the way audits are documented.           
This, Sharma said, is consistent with both International Auditing Standards as well as best practices in the auditing profession and will result in quicker and more effective audits.           
As the Office strives to improve on its yearly reporting, there have been constant improvements in its human resources as well. By the end of 2011, its staff complement is expected to reach 190.         
Riehl, receiving the report, lauded the Office for its timely submission and said that the new report will be presented to the National Assembly when the tenth parliament commences.