The Head of Internal Audit and Corporate Anti-Fraud will submit a report presenting, for approval, the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team Plan for 2019/20 and supporting Anti-Fraud Strategy.
Minutes:
The Head of Internal Audit and Corporate Anti-Fraud submitted a report presenting, for approval, the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team Plan for 2019/20 and supporting Anti-Fraud Strategy.
Members attention was drawn to the key areas of activity which had an increasing emphasis, as in previous years, on avoiding fraud taking place. In compiling the Counter Fraud Plan he had held discussions with the Service Director Finance (Section 151 Officer) to ensure that appropriate arrangements were in place and that scarce resources were targeted to key areas. In addition, there would be analysis of intelligence received from other Councils and from the Police to ensure that all possible anti-fraud initiatives were being addressed and issues identified. It was hoped that the activities detailed within the Plan would ensure that additional income could be generated for the Council. It was also proposed that the Corporate Fraud Awareness Week, which had been such a success last year, would be repeated.
The Head of Internal Audit and Corporate Anti-Fraud also reported that the Corporate Anti-Fraud Strategy had been refreshed taking account of the Government’s Fighting Fraud and Corruption Locally Strategy. It was noted that the key aim of the Strategy was to ensure that public funds were protected against fraud and loss by utilising the following objectives:
· Acknowledge/Deter
· Prevent/Detect
· Investigate/Pursue
In the ensuing discussion, particular reference was made to the following:
· The staffing structure and arrangements
· The risks associated with social care and care homes in the misrepresentation of people’s assets
· The importance of integrated systems for reporting including the ‘tell us once’ approach
· The National Fraud Initiative
· It was noted that 100 days had been set aside in the plan for proactive work. The level of proactive anti-fraud work would be dependent upon the volume of reactive work and, as a result, not all areas would be reviewed. Any areas not reviewed but still felt to be relevant would be carried forward to the following years plan
RESOLVED:-
(i) That the Corporate Anti-Fraud Team Plan 2019/20 and supporting strategy be agreed, acknowledging the need for the head of Internal Audit and Corporate Anti-Fraud to exercise his professional judgement during the year to apply the plan flexibly, allowing for planned proactive/detective days to be diverted to reactive investigation work as required; and
(ii) That the Committee receive regular monitoring report to demonstrate progress against the plan including information where the plan has materially varied from that originally agreed.