District Auditor Service (Hansard, 30 April 1996)

§ 9. Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from local authorities regarding the role of the district auditor service. [25679]

§ Mr. Curry
None.

§ Mr. Sheerman
The Minister will be aware that the district auditor service is highly regarded by many local authorities, including Labour-controlled Kirklees. If he wants to talk or shout about squalid deals and shenanigans, he should recognise that many people in local government believe that the Secretary of State brought undue pressure on the district auditor to delay the report on Westminster city council until after Thursday's local election. If on May 7 that report—the Tories, who are shouting, do not like this—names the individuals responsible for wasting £30 million of taxpayers' money 894 on gerrymandering, will the Minister or the Secretary of State ensure that action is taken to drive those people out of public life for good?

§ Mr. Curry
That accusation is categorically untrue. It is a scandalous attack on the integrity of the auditor dealing with Westminster's affairs.

§ Mr. Barry Field
Will my hon. Friend tell that lot opposite that we do not like having district auditors' reports carried out at the behest of council tax payers and Liberal Democrat councillors refusing to publish the results? Does he agree that everyone considering voting Liberal Democrat on Thursday should know that that party should carry a financial health warning?

§ Mr. Curry
We can all agree that any sensible system of local government must have a system of independent audit and that sensible politicians will recognise that the auditors must be allowed to get on with their job without political intervention.

§ Mr. Rendel
Given the length of time that the auditor has had to report on Westminster city council, and acknowledging the great difficulties that have been created by the procrastination of former Conservative councilors—

§ Mr. Field
When will the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown) answer my question about the district auditor's report?

§ Madam Speaker
Order. The hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Field) has put his question. Let us hear someone else now.

§ Mr. Rendel
Given the delay in the publication of the report and its importance in respect of various people's continuance in public office, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that major reports are produced rather more quickly in future?

§ Mr. Curry
The Government have no intention of intervening in the process of audit for any purpose. If local government is to be based on financial integrity, the audit service must be free of political interference and in the hands of an independent authority. I do not intend to intervene in that process. The Labour party plans to transform the Audit Commission into a super surrogate for local government. Nothing would be more dangerous. The matter is best left in the hands of the Audit Commission, which does its job very well.