§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the arrangements for internal and external auditing of local councils. [57651]
§ Dr. WhiteheadI am aware of the need to ensure that external and internal audit arrangements for local councils are appropriate. For this reason, the Audit Commission has introduced a new "lighter touch" audit framework for local councils, with the aim of making the external audit process more proportionate to the size and circumstances of local councils. We plan to consult later this year on proposals to make explicit the need for authorities to follow existing relevant best practice when carrying out their internal audit role.