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Conflicts of interest
First, recognise the conflicts of interest are a real risk the British NAO gathered a significant amount of intelligence on conflicts, particularly in the health and education sectors. These are areas of government where services are increasingly commissioned and delivered by parties at arm’s-length to departments. Conflicts of interest can occur naturally as a product of the way a system is designed and most often arise from operational situations.
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First, recognise the conflicts of interest are a real risk the British NAO gathered a significant amount of intelligence on conflicts, particularly in the health and education sectors. These are areas of government where services are increasingly commissioned and delivered by parties at arm’s-length to departments. Conflicts of interest can occur naturally as a product of the way a system is designed and most often arise from operational situations.
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National Audit Office
, issued in 2015
Risk cases: 8
The Shared Services Centre
The necessary environment for the efficient management of the Shared Service Center is lacking The department's administration of the Shared Services Centre (SSC) has been effective for sharing resources between the departments and delivering selected back-office services to a small client base. However, the governance arrangements established to oversight the SSC have not positioned it well for the future and the departments have not yet determined if the arrangement is efficient and resulting in savings. ANAO found instances where the advisory board of SSC was not consulted or involved in decisions relating to the strategic direction, financial arrangements and expenditure priorities. Information reported to the board did not focus on areas of strategic importance and the quality and completeness of this information could be improved. The mechanisms established for setting out responsibilities and obligations and ensuring transparency for services delivered by the SSC was weak. Service standards and levels were not fixed and can change. The delineation of responsibilities between the SSC and its clients was not clear and there was no commitment by the SSC to certify the quality of its control framework.
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The necessary environment for the efficient management of the Shared Service Center is lacking The department's administration of the Shared Services Centre (SSC) has been effective for sharing resources between the departments and delivering selected back-office services to a small client base. However, the governance arrangements established to oversight the SSC have not positioned it well for the future and the departments have not yet determined if the arrangement is efficient and resulting in savings. ANAO found instances where the advisory board of SSC was not consulted or involved in decisions relating to the strategic direction, financial arrangements and expenditure priorities. Information reported to the board did not focus on areas of strategic importance and the quality and completeness of this information could be improved. The mechanisms established for setting out responsibilities and obligations and ensuring transparency for services delivered by the SSC was weak. Service standards and levels were not fixed and can change. The delineation of responsibilities between the SSC and its clients was not clear and there was no commitment by the SSC to certify the quality of its control framework.
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The Australian National Audit Office
, issued in 2016
Risk cases: 2
The effectiveness of Official Development Assistance expenditure
Need of more coordination and transparency The audit of the UK's Official Development Assistance revealed among others: fragmented responsibilities and difficulties in review and reporting. These led to difficulties in assessment of effectiveness of the assistance and of progress in implementing the UK Aid Strategy.
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Need of more coordination and transparency The audit of the UK's Official Development Assistance revealed among others: fragmented responsibilities and difficulties in review and reporting. These led to difficulties in assessment of effectiveness of the assistance and of progress in implementing the UK Aid Strategy.
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National Audit Office
, issued in 2019
Risk cases: 4
The protection of research data at the Danish universities
The protection of research data at the Danish universities It is Rigsrevisionen’s assessment that the five largest universities are not adequately protecting their research data against unknown IT equipment. As a result, foreign actors may relatively easy gain unauthorized access to the universities’ research data.This is not considered satisfactory by Rigsrevisionen. The study shows that the five largest universities have defined guidelines for researchers’ use of software and hardware centrally, but that they have failed to centralise efforts to maintain a satisfactory level of security for research data. This is due mainly to the fact that, at some universities, researchers are allowed to bring their own devices,and at all the universities, researchers are allowed to have local administrator privileges, which gives them access to install software. Additionally, all five universities know of incidents where unknown hardware has been connected to their network.
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The protection of research data at the Danish universities It is Rigsrevisionen’s assessment that the five largest universities are not adequately protecting their research data against unknown IT equipment. As a result, foreign actors may relatively easy gain unauthorized access to the universities’ research data.This is not considered satisfactory by Rigsrevisionen. The study shows that the five largest universities have defined guidelines for researchers’ use of software and hardware centrally, but that they have failed to centralise efforts to maintain a satisfactory level of security for research data. This is due mainly to the fact that, at some universities, researchers are allowed to bring their own devices,and at all the universities, researchers are allowed to have local administrator privileges, which gives them access to install software. Additionally, all five universities know of incidents where unknown hardware has been connected to their network.
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National Audit Office of Denmark
, issued in 2018
Risk cases: 3
Open Data Trend Report 2015
How to activate the open data policy The Dutch SAI looks for ways to improve open data practice in the Netherlands. They point at experience of two leading countries: UK and US, and advise to: prepare a concrete action plan, to increase number of mandatory published data, to develop government-wide data inventory and to put open data to work.
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How to activate the open data policy The Dutch SAI looks for ways to improve open data practice in the Netherlands. They point at experience of two leading countries: UK and US, and advise to: prepare a concrete action plan, to increase number of mandatory published data, to develop government-wide data inventory and to put open data to work.
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Netherlands Court of Audits
, issued in 2015
Risk cases: 4
Has Public Administration Used All Opportunities for Efficient Management of ICT Infrastructure?
Efficient Management of ICT Infrastructure Centralised management of ICT services and infrastructure would allow the institutions to optimise in long run their resources – financial, human, material and technical. However, we observed during the audit that the move towards ICT centralisation and single data centres has ceased. The different ministries and even the institutions subordinated to the same ministry do not cooperate sufficiently with each other regarding the ICT management, maintenance, and infrastructure placement. They rather choose to maintain their own, sometimes even several, data centres.
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Efficient Management of ICT Infrastructure Centralised management of ICT services and infrastructure would allow the institutions to optimise in long run their resources – financial, human, material and technical. However, we observed during the audit that the move towards ICT centralisation and single data centres has ceased. The different ministries and even the institutions subordinated to the same ministry do not cooperate sufficiently with each other regarding the ICT management, maintenance, and infrastructure placement. They rather choose to maintain their own, sometimes even several, data centres.
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State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia
, issued in 2019
Risk cases: 3
Effectiveness of internal controls in the protection of personal data in national databases
The NAO analysed seven national databases in order to find out how the legitimate use of personal data is ensured. In accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act, the agencies who run databases ... must ensure that personal data is protected from abuse. The information system of the database must function appropriately, incl. be reliable and safe. Log files must be retained of all instances ... of viewing, amending, deleting, transmitting of data, etc. These files must allow ex-post determination of who did what, why, when and using which data. In its audit the NAO focused on the functioning ... ... Basic controls analysis can fail in data protection ... Estonian SAI analyzed personal data safety. Main finding were: poor log analysis and unprotected data.
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The NAO analysed seven national databases in order to find out how the legitimate use of personal data is ensured. In accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act, the agencies who run databases ... must ensure that personal data is protected from abuse. The information system of the database must function appropriately, incl. be reliable and safe. Log files must be retained of all instances ... of viewing, amending, deleting, transmitting of data, etc. These files must allow ex-post determination of who did what, why, when and using which data. In its audit the NAO focused on the functioning ... ... Basic controls analysis can fail in data protection ... Estonian SAI analyzed personal data safety. Main finding were: poor log analysis and unprotected data.
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National Audit Office of Estonia
, issued in 2008
Risk cases: 2
Data security and positions with access to confidential information
This government wide audit on information security and positions with access to confidential information has been performed at all ministries ans for each ministry also at one of the agencies ... . The 2007 Civil Service Data Information Security Decree (in Dutch: VIR 2007) is the legal foundation of the first part of this audit (data security). The Security Screening Act (in Dutch: WVO ... ) is the foundation of the second part (positions with access to confidential information). Only four of the organizations we have audited show an acceptible level of compliance with the 2007 Civil Service Data ... ... Shortcomings in information security and in positions with access to confidential information ... Surprising weaknesses were revealed by the NCA in its Government-wide operational audit performed as part of the 2011 audit into the state of central government accounts: Poor quality of data ... protection policy and poor protection of information systems. Also, non vetted positions with access to confidential information.
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This government wide audit on information security and positions with access to confidential information has been performed at all ministries ans for each ministry also at one of the agencies ... . The 2007 Civil Service Data Information Security Decree (in Dutch: VIR 2007) is the legal foundation of the first part of this audit (data security). The Security Screening Act (in Dutch: WVO ... ) is the foundation of the second part (positions with access to confidential information). Only four of the organizations we have audited show an acceptible level of compliance with the 2007 Civil Service Data ... ... Shortcomings in information security and in positions with access to confidential information ... Surprising weaknesses were revealed by the NCA in its Government-wide operational audit performed as part of the 2011 audit into the state of central government accounts: Poor quality of data ... protection policy and poor protection of information systems. Also, non vetted positions with access to confidential information.
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Netherlands Court of Audits
, issued in 2012
Risk cases: 3
THE CYBER SECURITY ENVIRONMENT IN LITHUANIA
The purpose of the audit was to assess whether cyber security is being ensured in Lithuania. In view of this goal, we assessed whether: (1) an effective cyber security system has been set up; (2 ... ) cyber security is ensured in public establishments. During the audit, the SAI Lithuania analysed current regulation, strategic planning and management practices in the field of cyber security ... and electronic information security as well as the funds allocated and used in this area. The SAI evaluated whether the cyber security and electronic information security objectives detailed in planning documents ... ... Cyber-security is much more than preventing incidents ... SAI Lithuania determined that the issue of ensuring and increasing cyber security and resilience has not been effectively addressed at the national level. The focus has primarily been on reacting ... to and preventing incidents in cyber space, which means that traditional issues related to electronic information security (confidentiality, integrity, accessibility) have been neglected, and from 2015, not enough ... attention has been paid to development, legislation, improvement of organisational structure, etc. in this field.
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The purpose of the audit was to assess whether cyber security is being ensured in Lithuania. In view of this goal, we assessed whether: (1) an effective cyber security system has been set up; (2 ... ) cyber security is ensured in public establishments. During the audit, the SAI Lithuania analysed current regulation, strategic planning and management practices in the field of cyber security ... and electronic information security as well as the funds allocated and used in this area. The SAI evaluated whether the cyber security and electronic information security objectives detailed in planning documents ... ... Cyber-security is much more than preventing incidents ... SAI Lithuania determined that the issue of ensuring and increasing cyber security and resilience has not been effectively addressed at the national level. The focus has primarily been on reacting ... to and preventing incidents in cyber space, which means that traditional issues related to electronic information security (confidentiality, integrity, accessibility) have been neglected, and from 2015, not enough ... attention has been paid to development, legislation, improvement of organisational structure, etc. in this field.
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National Audit Office of the Republic of Lithuania
, issued in 2015
Risk cases: 6
Central government staff costs
Results of staff reductions The British NAO found that departments had significantly reduced numbers of their civil servants and of course salary costs at the same time. But they reduced staff numbers mainly by minimising recruitment, and the age profile of the civil service has changed. NAO pays a lot attention to what effect this has had on the future pipeline of talent and skills. It reminds also that the departments need long-term operating models to work efficiently with the staff reduced.
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Results of staff reductions The British NAO found that departments had significantly reduced numbers of their civil servants and of course salary costs at the same time. But they reduced staff numbers mainly by minimising recruitment, and the age profile of the civil service has changed. NAO pays a lot attention to what effect this has had on the future pipeline of talent and skills. It reminds also that the departments need long-term operating models to work efficiently with the staff reduced.
Full description
National Audit Office
, issued in 2015
Risk cases: 5