SCOPA

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts is a Legislature Committee established in terms of the provision of Rule 184 of the Standing Rules of the Legislature. It is accountable to the Committee of Chairpersons, the Office of the Chairperson of Committees and the House.

The Committee exists in order to deliver on the following constitutional mandate assigned to the Legislature:
1. Performing oversight by considering the annual financial statements of provincial departments, public entities, any reports issued by the Auditor-General on the financial statements of provincial departments, public entities and any other financial statements or reports (regularity, forensic or internal audit) referred to the Committee in terms of the Rules;
2. Law making; and
3. Involving the public in committee and legislative processes.

Priority areas identified by the Committee, which it will monitor this financial year:
• Follow up on responses to all transversal resolutions in monthly meetings of the Committee in order to make progress in eliminating these audit findings from the audit reports:;
• Irregular, unauthorised and fruitless and wasteful expenditure;
• Policies on information technology;
• Material misstatements of the Annual Financial Statements;
• Use of consultants
• Handling of conflict of interests;
• Financial disclosures;
• Implementation of cost-cutting measures;
• Keeping of up to date asset registers;
• Signing of performance agreements;
• Recurring audit findings;
• Implementation of recommendations and commitments made to the A-G;
• Delays in filling critical vacant posts;
• Follow-up to ensure that action is taken against those officials who fail to address the audit findings or who are responsible for new audit findings.
• Implementation of consequence management