Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547002
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2026 Nine in ten actions, addressing NAO recommendations completed Public Service Governance Action Report The Public Administration has completed 443 of the 490 actions it set itself in response to recommendations by the National Audit Office — an implementation rate of 90.4% as at the end of August 2026 — according to the latest Governance Action report published by the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary. Now in its eleventh consecutive year, the publication, Governance Action on the NAO's Annual Report on Public Accounts 2024 and other NAO Reports 2025, sets out audit by audit and recommendation by recommendation what ministries, departments and public entities have done in response to the Auditor General's findings, together with the dates by which outstanding work is expected to be concluded. In his foreword, Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana writes that "implementing NAO recommendations, where feasible and taking into account the wider context and implications, remains a priority for the Public Administration, as these actions support continuous improvement, strengthen good governance, and enhance transparency." This year's exercise covered the 17 audits contained in the Report by the Auditor General on the Public Accounts 2024, published in December 2025, together with performance and IT audits carried out by the NAO during 2025. For the first time it was also extended to three local councils examined in the Report by the Auditor General on the Workings of Local Government — bringing the total to 20 audits. Across those audits the NAO made 267 recommendations. Of these, 251 were fully accepted by the Public Administration and a further 10 were partially accepted. Six recommendations, or 2.2% of the total, were not accepted; in each case the report records the justification put forward by management. The local council cohort alone generated 111 actions intended to bring council operations more aligned with good governance practices, 96% of which have been implemented. The 90.4% implementation rate is four percentage points up on last year's exercise. Mr Sultana describes it as demonstrating "the importance that the Public Administration attaches to insights and recommendations of the NAO", while noting that the 47 actions still outstanding "are nonetheless a commitment to further improvement and will continue to be followed up to hasten and ensure their implementation." That follow-up is itself a feature of the publication, which tracks actions left pending in earlier editions — recording their current status and revised target dates rather than allowing them to drop out of view. Governance action on the more complex audits was coordinated by the Internal Audit and Investigations Department, which works alongside auditees to identify appropriate remedial measures. Each audit is concluded with a formal closure meeting at which the required actions, or the reasons for non-acceptance, are discussed. The NAO commented positively on the cooperation and responsiveness of most auditees throughout the auditing process. "Sustained follow-up on pending actions, including regular compliance checks with auditees, will remain essential to ensure that improvements are fully embedded, that good governance practices continue to evolve, and that public administration remains responsive, transparent, and effective," Mr Sultana writes. The publication is available from www.publicservice.gov.mt.