High-risk audit recommendations

Report: 9
Date: 15 June 2007
By: Director Business Risk Management on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report confirms the status of outstanding high-risk accepted recommendations made by MPA Internal Audit as at the end of May 2007, and gives details of ongoing work to enhance the process by which the MPS respond to audit recommendations.

A. Recommendation

That members note the status of all outstanding high-risk recommendations made in relation to MPS control systems by MPA Internal Audit.

B. Supporting information

1. This report summarises the present status of high-risk recommendations on the MPA Internal Audit list of outstanding recommendations. It also details the process by which the MPS responds to audit recommendations.

Progress report on current high-risk audit recommendations

2. The status of high-risk accepted MPA Internal Audit recommendations as at end May 2007 is set out at exempt Appendix 1.

3. Since the previous report submitted to the Corporate Governance Committee in March 2007, further consultation between the MPS Inspection Liaison and Analysis Unit (ILAU) and the MPA Internal Audit has taken place to improve the co-ordination of the recommendation data. As a result, the data in Table 1 below has been amended in respect of the total number of audits taken place in the years of 2002 to 2006.

Table 1: High-Risk Accepted Audit Recommendation Progress Summary, as at end of May 2007

The MPS audit recommendation response process

4. There has been a further reduction in the number of outstanding recommendations, with only 23 out of 133 recommendations now outstanding. An additional six of these 23 recommendations should also be completed within the next month and a further 15 recommendations should be completed by December 2007. Work is continuing to further reduce the number of outstanding recommendations with all business groups being required to provide updates on a monthly basis. This is to ensure enhanced co-ordination with all inspection activity in the MPS and to enable regular updates to be provided to MPS Performance Board and the MPA.

5. The outstanding high-risk recommendations are also monitored by the ILAU at the quarterly Internal Inspection Co-ordination Meeting with representatives from all business groups. A representative from Internal Audit also attends this meeting and is therefore able to answer any specific queries. In addition, the Deputy Director of Internal Audit is updated in relation to the development of audit recommendation tracking and reporting at the quarterly External Audit and Inspection Partners Meeting, chaired by the head of ILAU.

6. A further progress report by the ILAU on the status of high-risk audit recommendations will be provided to the next Corporate Governance Committee in September 2007.

C. Race and equality impact

1. No reported adverse impacts on race and equality.

D. Financial implications

1. It is understood that the actions have been, or are being, undertaken from existing budgets.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Julie Buckingham, Inspection Liaison and Analysis Unit, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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