In this essay, I will concur with Public Audit Forum's statement that 'external public auditors have a direct and positive influence on the way organizations and people in the public service discharge their responsibilities'. However, it is important that we do not ignore the negative influences caused by the auditors. In this essay, I will first discuss the positive influences first before moving onto the counterpart, and finally conclude on why I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives.
BackgroundThe public service sector includes the central and local government; public utilities accountable to parliament; other public bodies funded from taxationâ¦and so on. To this day however, what is regarded as public sector fluctuates widely according to 'political fashion and historical accident'. Accounting for 40% of the GDP (mostly from tax) of the UK with some of the most important functions of the modern society, it is only logical that there is an audit system in place to make sure that the interests of different parties on the public sector are being met.
Snapshot from Audit Document of Comptroller and Au...
Open-Audit
Official logo of Audit ScotlandLike audit elsewhere, a key objective of the public external auditor is to express an opinion on the accuracy of annual accounts and financial based on sufficient, relevant and reliable evidence. Audit risk and the coverage of the examination are carefully planned and the work carried out accurately and thoroughly. However, the use of public funds and resources imposes further special demands. Accountability to Parliament and the public needs to be to the highest standards, with full public reporting of the results and conclusions of the audit. Special importance attaches to the requirements of legality, regularity, propriety and the proper conduct of public business. The auditor's responsibilities extend beyond the accounts into wide-ranging examinations of the economic, efficient and effective use of resources of all kinds, and such...