Audit Wales (), formally the Wales Audit Office (WAO, ), is an independent public body which was established by the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

(Welsh Parliament; , formerly the National Assembly for Wales) on 1 April 2005. It has overall responsibility for auditing on behalf of the

Auditor General for Wales The Auditor General for Wales is the public official in charge of the Wales Audit Office, the body responsible for auditing the Welsh Government, its public bodies, National Health Service bodies and local government in Wales. The Auditor General f ...

, across all sectors of government in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, except those reserved to the UK government.

Function

Their aim is to ensure that the people of Wales know whether public money is being managed wisely and that public bodies in Wales understand how to improve outcomes. This overall aim is supported by four key objectives: * Provide timely assurance on governance and stewardship of public money and assets * Offer useful insight on the extent to which resources are used well in meeting people's needs * Clearly identify and promote ways to which the provision of public services may be improved * Be an accountable, well-run and efficient organisation that provides a stimulating and rewarding environment to work Audit Wales currently audits around 800 public bodies including the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

NHS Wales NHS Wales ( cy, GIG (Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol) Cymru) is the publicly-funded healthcare system in Wales, and one of the four systems which make up the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. NHS Wales was formed as part of the public ...

, and local government.

Structure

Wales Audit Office, Cardiff - geograph-4088258-by-Jaggery

Audit Wales takes the form of a statutory board, which employs staff, secures resources and monitors and advises the Auditor General. The Senedd appoints the Chair and 3 other non-executive members to the board. The other members are the Auditor General and 3 employees. Audit Wales currently employ around 240 people across 3 offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Ewloe.

History

On 1 July 1999, The National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 came into effect, this transferred all powers from the Secretary of State for Wales to the Senedd. Wales did not have its own auditing body, as all public auditing was carried out by the National Audit Office and the Audit Commission. It was not until 1 April 2005 that Audit Wales was created after the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 came into effect.

Legislation

The

Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 The Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 (c 23) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Part 1 Section 2 This section was repealed by section 163 of, and Schedule 12 to, the Government of Wales Act 2006. Sections 6 to 11 These sections wer ...

, the

Government of Wales Act 1998 The Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed in 1998 by the Labour government to create a Welsh Assembly, therefore granting Wales a degree of self-government. This legislative bo ...

and

Government of Wales Act 2006 The Government of Wales Act 2006 (c 32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the then-National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd) and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily. The Act creates a system o ...

and other legislation currently provide the statutory basis for the Auditor General and the auditors he appoints in local government to fulfill their purpose across the Welsh public sector. In 2012 the Welsh Government introduced before the National Assembly the Public Audit (Wales) Bill. One feature of the Bill as currently drafted is to make provision for the Auditor General to be the statutory auditor of local government bodies.

Notes

External links

* Government of Wales 2005 establishments in Wales