(Report to the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons—Administration of the House of Commons of Canada)
Ottawa, 13 June 2012—The Administration of the House of Commons has management policies and control systems in place to provide support to Members and the operations of the House of Commons, says Michael Ferguson, the Auditor General of Canada, in his Report to the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons. The report was tabled today in the House of Commons.
“I am pleased to say that with one exception, we found no major weaknesses in the Administration of the House of Commons,” said Mr. Ferguson.
The audit found that the House of Commons Administration has appropriate financial management policies and controls in place. The vast majority of transactions that were reviewed had been properly authorized, reviewed and recorded. The audit noted that the rules in place were generally followed, but recommended improving aspects of documentation.
The audit found weaknesses in contracting practices: 41 of 59 items tested did not meet all the requirements of the Administration’s own procurement policy and procedures. This ranged from missing documents, to unsigned contracts, to a contract awarded to a bidder that did not meet one of the mandatory requirements.
The audit found that communication and cooperation between the House of Commons Security Services and other security forces in the Parliamentary Precinct have improved in recent years, following the implementation of a master security plan. There is an opportunity for further evaluation of the integration of security forces.
The audit looked at services provided by the House of Commons Administration in selected areas, including financial management, human resource management, information technology services, and security, between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011.
“While I am pleased with the results of this audit, we have made recommendations for improvements that the Administration has agreed to implement,” said Mr. Ferguson.
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