The Auditor General will be hosting a Conference at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Tuesday, 17^th July 2001 to commemorate the 4^th Anniversary of the setting up of the National Audit Office.

The NAO superseded the role of the former Department of Audit following amendments to the Constitution and with the coming into effect of the Auditor General and National Audit Office Act in 1997. Both legislations – making the Auditor General an officer of the House fully independent from Government – were unanimously approved by the House of Representatives.

All senior civil servants have been invited. Moreover, members of the Standing Committee of the House – the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office Accounts Committee, the body charged with examining NAO’s budget for the consideration by the House Representatives will also be participating.

Dr Edward Warrington – Director, Institute of Public Administration and Management, will chair the Conference. It will be addressed amongst others by the Speaker of the House of Representatives - Hon Anton Tabone; the Minister of Finance - Hon John Dalli; the Chairman of the PAC - Hon Leo Brincat MP; the Head of the Public Service and Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister - Mr Joseph R. Grima, and Dr Godrey A. Pirotta - from the Department of Public Policy, University of Malta.

A historical flashback to past audit function in Malta since 1800 will be made. Changes resulting from the introduction of the 1997 legislation and subsequent developments, including the administration’s views, will be covered. Moreover, the Public Accounts Committee relationship’s with the NAO and the way forward will be the subject of one of the presentations.

The Conference will also be enriched with the experiences of UK counterparts in State Audit and the Civil Service. Sir John Bourn, the Comptroller and Auditor General and Sir Alan Bailey, a former Permanent Secretary from the Department of Transport, have kindly accepted to participate in the Conference. Sir Alan Bailey’s visit was facilitated through the Office of the Head of the Public Service.