AUDIT IN THE HUMAN RESOURCES FIELD
| Author | LAN McBRAYNE |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1990.tb00765.x |
| Published date | 01 September 1990 |
| Date | 01 September 1990 |
PUBLIC
MANAGEMENT
AUDIT
IN
THE
HUMAN
RESOURCES
FIELD
LAN
McBRAYNE
The Whitehall machine
is
a fascinating phenomenon.
It
is
vast in scale, complex
in structure and second only to mothers-in-law as a source of cheap jokes. My
job, as head of the Human Resources Division in the National Audit Office until
earlier this year, was to look at the way in which
it
works and spot the places
where a drop
of
oil
would make
it
work more smoothly.
THE
HUMAN
RESOURCES
DMSION
The rde
of
the
NAO
as
auditors of the government's accounts
goes
back,
in
various
forms, for many centuries.
For
several decades now, its work has also extended
into the area of value for money examinations. This role is confirmed by the
National Audit Act
1983,
which empowers the Comptroller and Auditor General
to 'carry out
examinations
into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
any department.
.
.has used its resources
in
discharging its functions'. The main
objective of this work is to provide independent information, advice and assurance
to Parliament. Such examinations lead
to
published reports, on which the Account-
ing
Officer of the relevant department is usually questioned by the Public Accounts
Committee of the House of Commons.
Manpower
is
high on the list of resources used by government departments.
The
NAO'S
programme has included a number of manpower studies, often in
specialist areas such as health and defence. In October
1987
the Human Resources
Division was
set
up, specifically dedicated to providing 'a central capability for
examining across the board issues on the
use
of staff within the Civil Service'.
As
with any value for money audit, the
NAO
aim to take a constructive approach
which is relevant to departments managing in the real world. They are catalysts: the
Ian McBrayne was formerly Director
of
the Human Resources Division
of
the National Audit
Office.
Public Administration
Vol.
68 Autumn
1990
(369-375)
0
1990
Comptroller and Auditor General ISSN 0033-3298 $3.00
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