Auditing Government's COVID-19 Spending for Financial Years 2020 and 2021

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in light of the recommendations in the Third Report of the Public Accounts Committee (a) has the Ministry begun the audit of the $72.3 billion in COVID-19 spending for financial year 2020 and 2021; (b) if so, when will the findings be released; and (c) whether the Ministry intends to engage the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) to audit this spending as it was not covered in the thematic audit by AGO.

The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) carried out a thematic audit in FY2021/2022 covering selected COVID-19 related procurement and expenditure at three agencies: the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). AGO’s ongoing audits for FY2022/2023 will cover the Jobs Support Scheme, Rental Relief Framework (Cash Grants), Rental Support Scheme and SingapoRediscovers Vouchers Scheme. The expenditure incurred by the agencies for the schemes or areas subject to AGO’s audit adds up to $32.3 billion and forms part of the $72.3 billion of COVID-19 spending. Using a risk-based approach, AGO may choose to audit other selected areas of COVID-19 spending in their on-going and subsequent reviews.

Besides AGO’s audits, agencies have conducted internal audits on COVID-19 spending since early 2022, which include reviews on the effectiveness of internal controls, as well as the validity and accuracy of payments. Findings and remedial actions from the internal audits are reported to the respective agencies’ senior management, as well as to their Audit Committees and Boards in the case of Statutory Boards.

The $72.3 billion in COVID-19 spending included a broad range of public expenditure to safeguard public health and enable safe reopening and support measures for individuals and businesses in the form of grants, financing assistance, tax rebates and vouchers. Over half of the COVID-19 expenditure has been audited and the remaining audits are ongoing and are expected to be completed by the end of FY2024.