The Court of Auditors (TdC), which monitors the regularity of government expenditure, will have to work in 2023 with a reduced budget of 29.37 million euros and a smaller workforce of 649 employees. Nevertheless, it hopes to hire another 58 employees, according to the action plan released yesterday for next year.
According to the document, the budget should shrink by 250 thousand euros to 29.37 million euros compared to the 29.62 million that was foreseen for this year. Most of the resources (78%) come from transfers from the state budget and only 22% from own resources.
The number of workers fell from 653 to 649 and consequently the need for reinforcement of the workforce increased. For example, the TdC plans to hire an additional 58 employees, while estimates in 2022 pointed to the hiring of 46 employees. “Some 58 jobs have been identified, so efforts will be made to meet these needs through external recruitment in the public administration and/or the use of mobility tools. Possible solutions, namely through retirement, are also being considered,” it says. the action. plan of the entity led by José Tavares.
Of the 649 employees planned for next year, 551 will work at headquarters, 50 in the Azores regional branch and 48 in the Madeira regional branch, according to the Court’s estimates. Compared to this year, there is an increase of five employees at the head office, but a loss on the islands. The Azores will lose two employees and Madeira will lose seven jobs. This means a greater concentration of services on the mainland to the detriment of the autonomous regions.
To promote the professional improvement of human resources, 81 internal training actions are planned (70 at headquarters, five in the Azores and six in Madeira) and 28 external training actions (20 at headquarters, two in the Azores and six in Madeira). , with a total cost of about 92.8 thousand euros, according to the plan for 2023. Expenditure on personnel qualification for this year amounted to 92 thousand euros, essentially the same value that was foreseen for this year.
In 2023, the TdC foresees a diverse package of actions, ranging from the verification of deeds and contracts entered into in the institution, to the issuing of opinions on the General Account of the State for 2022 – as well as 25 preparatory actions for the advice for the to be submitted to the Assembly of the Republic by September 2024 next year.
Similarly, the TdC estimates carrying out 123 audits, external verification of accounts and opinions on the accounts of the Assembly of the Republic, the Presidency of the Republic and the legislative assemblies of the Autonomous Regions; 613 internal verifications of public entity accounts; 34 financial statement approval audits; and 20 studies and opinions.
As one of the priority lines of action, the Court highlights “the risks and challenges related to the sustainability, coverage and quality of public services in the social field and the control of reforms and investments with European funding”, as well as those related to the “simplification of administrative and digital transformation, climate change and energy transition, decentralization and the preparation of the certification process of the National Accounts”.
The President of the TdC, José Tavares, believes that next year the Court will “fulfill its mission and effectively implement its action plan, contributing to improving public finance management and thus providing the best services to citizens offer,” he said in the statement.
Salomé Pinto is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
