Push for Accounting-Trained Staff to Oversee Audits in Government

Parliament will debate and vote on Tuesday on a recommendation calling on the government to ensure staff tasked with overseeing the accounting, bookkeeping and audit sector in ministries and other state bodies have qualifications linked to accounting and audit.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Jaleela Alawi, Dr Hisham Al Ashiri, Mohsen Al Asbool and Jalal Kadhem. It calls for employee specialisations to match the work of professional oversight, after raising the issue of staff in such roles coming from fields with no link to accounting or auditing.

Supporters say the change is aimed at improving the standard of financial reports and strengthening the skills of staff responsible for checking accounts, alongside government work linked to corporate tax plans that require accurate supervision.

In its explanatory note, the proposal points to a need to control the quality of outputs and reports produced by entities working in accounting, bookkeeping and audit, and says the mix of backgrounds among some oversight staff affects that work.

The Services Committee has recommended approval, with members present voting in favour.

The Civil Service Bureau said recruitment across government bodies covered by the Civil Service Law is governed by the law and its executive rules, including provisions on appointment and types of employment. It said hiring is based on requests tied to actual need and approved job descriptions, after verifying that a vacancy exists within the approved structure, staffing ceiling and budget of the entity.

The bureau added that the competent authority in each government body is responsible for drawing up its organisational structure, with the bureau approving it, and that job descriptions are prepared by the entities under the job evaluation system adopted in the civil service.

It also described accounting roles in government as covering accountants, auditors, analysts and financial controllers across grades. These roles include designing and running accounting systems, developing standards and policies, reviewing and interpreting accounting data and reports, and giving advice linked to financial management.

The bureau said it carries out regular reviews of roles and their entry requirements with government bodies to keep pace with labour market changes, including adding professional and specialist certificates for some posts and recognising licences issued by specialised international bodies as accepted qualifications for certain civil service roles.