“Audit work has saved millions of pounds of public money since devolution” – report

The work of the Assembly’s Audit Committee and the Auditor General has saved £117 million of public money in Wales since devolution began. Auditor General Jeremy Colman will present a report on the value for money of audit work and proposals for the future to the Audit Committee at a meeting this week. It states that as well as saving £117 million and identifying a further £36 million in possible future savings, audit work has secured improvements in public services through investigations into institutions such as the NHS, further education colleges in Wales and the National Botanic Garden. The report makes suggestions for future areas of investigation by the Auditor-General and the Committee. These include Communities First, train services, tackling substance misuse and the teacher workload agreement. Janet Davies AM, Chair of Audit Committee, said: “I welcome the report from the Auditor General. It is clear that his work, together with that of the Committee, has been of immense benefit to Wales both in ensuring that public money is well spent and in improving services. “The Committee is committed to following up its work and ensuring that further savings are made where they have been identified. I am also confident that future investigations by the Auditor-General and the Committee will lead to real improvements in public services for the people of Wales.” The meeting takes place at 9.30am in Committee Room 3, Senedd, on Thursday October 12.