Sir John Bourn retains Welsh post
Auditor General for Wales Sir John Bourn has been re-appointed for a second three-year term of office.
The post was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. The incumbent is responsible for auditing the accounts of the Welsh National Assembly and other Assembly funded public sector bodies excluding local authorities.
In a recent report, Sir John was critical of the Assembly finance group’s failure to complete monthly bank reconciliations. By not doing so, the Assembly had risked fraudulent payments being made and not brought to account.
The finance group also failed to deliver the accounts until the middle of October, six and a half months after the Assembly’s financial year-end. The delay was blamed on the shortage of qualified staff and difficulties in transferring functions from the Welsh office to the assembly.
He did, however, point out the difficulties faced by the Assembly’s finance group in preparing the body’s first accounts.
Welsh first minister, Rhodri Morgan, said: ‘Sir John’s wisdom, experience and advice have been a major influence in enabling the Assembly to achieve the very high standards of financial management and value for money in the use of public funds to which it has aspired; and to which the people of Wales have a right to expect.’
Sir John Bourn also holds the post of Comptroller and Auditor General to the United Kingdom Parliament.
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Welsh Assembly is ‘exposed to fraud’