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2 NEWS 9.12.2021 THE Auditor General, Charles Deguara, this week presented to the Speaker of the House of Representatives the Annual Audit Report on the Public Ac- counts for 2020. It comprises 42 write-ups on the operations of several Gov- ernment Ministries, Depart- ments and Entities. is Report also includes an analysis of the Financial Report 2020, as well as an overview of the Statements of Arrears of Revenue for the same year, as submitted to Treasury by the respective Ministry, Depart- ment and Entity. e National Audit Office has judiciously analysed the level of compliance of various expend- iture and revenue items with prevailing rules and regulations. e Report gives over 350 rele- vant recommendations which, if implemented by the respective auditee, will address the short- comings identified during these reviews and thus promote good governance and best practice in Government's operations. Some of the key findings iden- tified were the following: • Most of the information required for audit pur- poses was not submit- ted by the University of Malta and the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality, hindering the scope of expenditure au- dits carried out. Substan- tial delays in submitting the required information were also encountered during the audit of the Government Voucher Scheme entrusted to the Malta Investment Man- agement Company Lim- ited. • Procurement regulations were bypassed by a num- ber of entities, includ- ing Festivals Malta and Malta Digital Innovation Authority. Direct orders approved by the Minis- try for Finance, for con- tractual and professional services were repeatedly resorted to by the Educa- tion Department. • Shortcomings in the pro- ject management by the Housing Maintenance and Embellishment Company Limited were identified. Weaknesses in the planning, procure- ment process and mon- itoring of capital assets were also prevalent at the Correctional Services Agency. • A weak control environ- ment, together with leg- islative constraints, hin- dered the enforcement and revenue collection from the Energy Per- formance Certificates. An audit of the Service Pension also revealed inadequate controls, leading to substantial overpayments. • Verification procedures on the overtime claimed by staff at the Cleans- ing and Maintenance Division and Aġenzija għall-Ħarsien tat-Tfal were deemed inadequate. Considerable amounts paid for overtime by the former led NAO to ques- tion the productivity lev- els of the claimed hours. An audit at the Founda- tion for Medical Services revealed several concerns regarding the engage- ment of officials, as well as irregularities in the ap- pointment of persons on a trust basis. • Extravagance in the use of public funds by the Malta Film Commission, coupled with poor budg- etary controls led to a negative working capi- tal of over €1 million in 2020. AG's report on 2020 public accounts highlights shortcomings in procurement, project management MALTA International Air- port on Saturday welcomed the first two flights from Zagreb and Parma, which will be operated on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout winter by Lauda Europe and Malta Air respectively, both of which are part of Ryanair Holdings. While Italy is one of Malta International Air- port's most popular markets, connected by flights to 16 out of its 20 regions, the Za- greb route is the first direct link between Malta and Cro- atia. e capital of Croatia is characterised by red-roofed buildings, narrow cobbled streets snaking through the old Upper Town, and grand architecture dating to the times of the Habsburgs dominating the busier Lower Town. While the city brims with charm and activity all year, as Christmas rolls around, Zagreb's festive attire and renowned street markets heighten its appeal as a win- ter destination. By venturing just outside the city, visitors can also en- joy a spot of adventure down one of Mount Medvednica's five ski runs. Other interest- ing places which are easily reachable from Zagreb and ideal for a day trip include Plitvice Lakes, which turn into a winter wonderland af- ter snowfall, the sleepy town of Rastoke, and Karlovac where one of Croatia's top beers is brewed. While Croatia's go-to tipple is beer, with the country pro- ducing 90% of all beer sold locally, Parma is well known for Lambrusco wine, Parme- san and prosciutto, making it a top destination for arti- sanal food tours. e time spent sampling Parma's satisfying delicacies can be balanced with sight- eeing tours of the city's stun- ning monuments, including the Romanesque Cathedral and the medieval baptistery, both of which boast splendid frescoes, Palazzo della Pilot- ta, and the wooden Teatro Farnese. First link between MIA and Croatia established

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