Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to inform the House that the Office of Public Sector Governance (OPSG) plays a very important role in fostering good governance across the public sector, including Ministries, Departments, State Owned Enterprises and local authorities. Its mandate includes providing management consultancy services, conducting in-depth financial, organisational and governance reviews, and monitoring the performance of audit committees within public sector institutions mainly to ensure effective implementation of the recommendations of the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee and the Internal Control Unit. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to part (a) of the question, the OPSG is currently reorientating its strategic approach to better align with evolving public expectations and institutional integrity standards. A key initiative being implemented during the current Financial Year 2025-2026 is the development of a comprehensive Code of Good Governance for the public sector. This framework will serve as a unifying standard across public sector institutions with the objective of enhancing transparency and accountability, reinforcing ethical conduct and compliance, and elevating the overall effectiveness of service delivery in public sector organisations. The Code is expected to strengthen systematic safeguards, instil a culture of responsibility, and restore public trust in the leadership and management of the public sector.

48 With regard to part (b) of the question, over the last five financial years, the OPSG has completed a total of 46 reviews covering areas such as finance, procurement, human resources and governance as follows – • 2020-2021: 7 reports. • 2021-2022: 10 reports. • 2022-2023: 14 reports. • 2023-2024: 10 reports. For the Financial Year 2024-2025, five reports have been completed and issued, and four are in process of being finalised. It is to be noted that the five reviews that have been completed for the Financial Year 2024-2025, the OPSG undertook assignments which were of a more complex nature and with wider scope, requiring more time to complete. In addition, during the same financial year, the OPSG has been conducting governance surveys in 34 statutory bodies to assess compliance with the eight principles enshrined in the National Code of Corporate Governance for Mauritius. So far, 14 statutory bodies have been issued and assessed, and a governance report has been issued to them. As regards to remedial measures, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to inform the House that the OPSG analyses and examines the issues, the shortcomings of the organisations reviewed, and subsequently, proposes workable recommendations for improvement with respect to governance lapses, inefficiencies and potential malpractices in public institutions. The responsibility to effectively implement the recommendations rests with the organisations, the Ministries, the departments for which OPSG conducted the reviews, and the implementation of these measures are monitored by the respective audit committees set up at the level of the Ministries or departments. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the OPSG operates on a demand-driven basis and its report is submitted exclusively to the requesting authority. Nevertheless, I wish to assure the House that where deficiencies are identified, OPSG recommendations are aimed at systematic rectification and capacity building. These typically include strengthening of internal controls, the revision of governance framework, and the clarification of reporting lines, including enhanced monitoring mechanism. Thank you.

Yes, hon. Lobine!

49

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. May I ask the hon. Minister, with regard to the annual report of the Office of Public Sector Governance, can she confirm to the House that as at date, we only have the annual report of 2016-2017 that is available for the public to consult?

Thank you for the additional question. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. I have been informed that this department was previously called the Management Audit Office and they used to publish their annual reports as an entity. Since 2019, they have been transferred to as a department under the Ministry, and since then, the report of the Ministry includes the affairs of the OPSG. Since 2019, they are included in the annual report of the Ministry.

Hon. First Member for Montagne Blanche & GRSE! BEL AIR RIVIÈRE SÈCHE – PUBLIC TOILET PROJECT