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Carrie Lee

DIRECTOR of Audit Brian Jenney has called for access to the accounts of the Provisional Airport Authority (PAA), which is currently off limits to his department.

  ''I do feel that the Director of Audit should have access to the books and records of public corporations with government as a shareholder,'' Mr Jenney said yesterday.

  The main political parties are pressing the Government that the PAA, and more importantly the future Airport Authority, should be put under the director's value-for-money scrutiny.

  They were adamant that measures should be adopted to prevent a re-occurrence of a $5.5 million golden handshake to former PAA chief executive Richard Allen.

  The Government yesterday said there would be technical difficulties to do so, although it said it would consider legislators' views.

  Legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip quoted the Secretary for Economic Services, Gordon Siu Kwing-chue, as saying that allowing the Airport Authority to be audited by the Director of Audit would be against current practices.

  Mr Jenny said: ''For the purpose of accountability and assurances to the Legislative Council, I should be able to carry out a value-for-money audit wherever necessary.

  ''The taxpayer, and the legislature that votes the money, require assurances not only that the funds have been properly spent but they have been spent wisely.''   The PAA Ordinance does not provide any role for the Director of Audit.

  The Sino-British Memorandum of Understanding on the airport also specifies that the Airport Authority ordinance should be modelled as far as possible on the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Ordinance. The MTR is not audited by the director.

  A Government spokesman refused to comment on Mr Jenney's remarks. He also declined to say whether the Airport Authority bill, which was at an advanced stage of drafting, would put the authority under the director.

  PAA spokesman Norma Fung said consideration was being given to the provision of a role for the Director of Audit in the Airport Authority bill, although she said there appeared no need to bring the PAA under the purview of the director.

  The PAA's accounts were audited by an external auditor appointed by the board. It also had a thorough internal audit procedure, she said.

  The PAA's audited annual accounts were also tabled in Legco, she added.

  Mr Chan, from the United Democrats, said it was important to make the Airport Authority as transparent and accountable as possible.

  He said the party would amend the bill if their demands were not met.

  Backing the suggestion, the Liberal Party's Steven Poon Kwok-lim said, since the authority would handle a large amount of public money, it should be properly monitored.

  He said the future Airport Authority bill should not be completely modelled on the two railway corporations' ordinances as the latter were not wholly satisfactory.

  Legislator Dr Leong Che-hung of Meeting Point said putting the Airport Authority under the director was necessary to make sure taxpayers' money was used wisely.

  Times had changed and the public demanded a more open administration, he said.

  The director is empowered to conduct value-for-money audits on the efficiency of government departments or public organisations receiving more than half of their income from public money.

  Meanwhile, Mr Jenney called for an examination of the 1986 guidelines which detailed the power of his department to see whether they needed updating.

  Amendments could include introducing flexibility in the criterion on when an organisation should be subject to an audit, he suggested.

  He also called for the guidelines to be made into law.

  Mr Jenney also said the Government should improve the way it demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of its programmes to Legco.

  ''What is required are clearly defined aims, measurable objectives and targets and meaningful indicators of performance,'' he said.

  ''The Legislative Council has a right to know what the targets are, whether they are being achieved and at what cost. Simple descriptions of activities are not sufficient,'' said Mr Jenney.



Audit chief seeks access to books of airport body