Speech Pieter Duisenberg, President of the Court docket of Audit. Supply Accountability Survey, Accountability Day, Could 15, 2024.
(Pieter Duisenberg stands behind the podium)
PIETER DUISENBERG: It feels good to be again on this Chamber. I’m standing right here right this moment in a really completely different position, however nonetheless with the identical aim: guaranteeing a greater stability between budgeting and accountability, between plans and outcomes. That’s vital, as a result of I do not suppose I’m the one Dutch one that not solely needs to know what every thing prices, but additionally what it yields. Particularly when it issues public cash. Then the outcome counts. That is why Accountability Day is Outcomes Day.
So that you perceive that once I turned a Member of Parliament in 2012, similar to Mr Van Weyenberg, I used to be at all times shocked that there was nice consideration for brand new plans and Finances Day, with a number of shine and glitz, and comparatively little consideration for the outcomes. for Accountability Day. A bit like opening a bottle of champagne when renovating your rest room whenever you obtain the quote from the contractor and celebrating the completion with a chilly bathe. After all there isn’t any outcome with no plan. You do not give your contractor a bag of cash and say: I desire a rest room, do you? That solely makes for a hilarious TV present.
That’s the reason plans and outcomes, budgeting and accountability, are speaking vessels that should maintain one another in stability. Particularly on the subject of what 386 billion euros in revenue and 390 billion euros in expenditure have generated. Then we have now to ask the query: has the federal government given us worth for our cash? As a result of the reply to that query is vital to revive residents’ confidence within the authorities.
That’s the reason the Accountability Survey that I’m providing you right this moment isn’t a easy calculation. There’s additionally a narrative to it. A narrative about plans and outcomes. About coverage and positively additionally about implementation. About what went nicely, sure, loads went nicely, and about what may very well be improved. About what we will study from this price range yr in order that we will do higher subsequent yr.
So what can we study from 2023? In abstract, we will draw two conclusions based mostly on our research. One: the regularity of expenditure is enhancing. And two: the outcomes are in jeopardy. We’ve got little perception into outcomes and implementation is stalling.
About legality. That’s about whether or not the cash has been spent in response to the principles. For greater than 99% of expenditures the reply is: Sure. And that’s excellent news. As a result of it is a lot better than it was just a few years in the past. As a result of it falls inside the tolerance restrict of the Sneller, Inge van Dijk and Heinen movement. And since it additionally decreases for the obligations, though it’s nonetheless simply above the 1% restrict. With that caveat, we give an unqualified opinion on the 2023 authorities accounts. We are able to additionally conclude that increasingly issues are going nicely in enterprise operations. The research present this: imperfections have been reducing since 2020.
There’s, rightly, increasingly consideration for monetary administration within the central authorities. For instance, because the minister indicated, by means of the institution of the Monetary Administration Taskforce of the Ministry of Finance and improved monetary administration on the Ministry of Well being, Welfare and Sport. And definitely additionally because of the consideration of MPs from all factions who, exterior the highlight, are rapporteurs on price range and accountability for the assorted Home committees and thus sharpen the nails of the Home, in order that the Home isn’t a lamb however a lion.
After all, along with the compliments, there are additionally just a few factors of curiosity: classes to study. A considerably uncomfortable lesson is what we study from the implementation of restoration, harm and disaster measures. The political alternative was clear: pace and generosity needed to take priority over precision, care and effectivity. In our audits we query the legality in numerous instances. Since you are free to make these sorts of acutely aware decisions, however it’s our job to level out the results.
One other lesson we have to study is easy methods to handle folks and sources higher. We should organize this correctly, taking the dangers into consideration. Contemplate the most important upkeep contracts for roads and bridges with Rijkswaterstaat. The large buying duties at Protection, underneath nice time stress. Or wanting again, the acquisition of face masks and the hiring of name facilities through the pandemic. In any case, we’re speaking about massive quantities of cash. It includes a number of public cash.
A vital lesson is that we have now to cope with uncertainties in another way. To keep away from all these surprises that should not be so stunning in any respect. For instance, the rising prices for the renovation of the Binnenhof. Was that actually a shock? And the prices for asylum reception? If we all know that asylum prices needed to be adjusted upwards 21 of the previous 23 years, I believe there’s a sample, not a shock. These sorts of surprises, these bombs within the Hofvijver, aren’t the fireworks that the Netherlands is so keen on, however are literally very dangerous for confidence within the authorities. As a result of a shock is above all a scarcity of management.
Relating to my second level, the outcomes of the coverage, we draw two conclusions: we have now little perception into outcomes and implementation is stalling. In different phrases: it’s not at all times clear whether or not we obtained worth for our cash. For this Accountability Survey, we seemed on the outcomes of the fourth Rutte cupboard. As a result of there was one thing particular about that cupboard: this cupboard deliberate to spend an additional 76 billion euros and that had by no means been carried out earlier than. Not even by the Den Uyl cupboard. However all that more money now appears to be like extra like a shadow price range: some huge cash, 7.2 billion, has not but been spent, so the plans have usually not been realized.
Why? As a result of implementation is caught attributable to a scarcity of workers, programs and processes. As a result of there aren’t sufficient workers to do what we need to do. Simply as you possibly can hardly discover a contractor if you wish to renovate your rest room, the central authorities has the identical drawback: there are 32,000 vacancies. As well as, we’re coping with outdated IT programs. For instance, on the Tax Authorities. The system they use there to calculate and gather gross sales tax was in-built 1982. That system, and the revenue tax and payroll tax programs, collectively account for 165 billion euros
in tax revenues, that system have to be modernized by 2026.
Implementation can be stalled attributable to advanced processes. A poignant instance is the issue of stacked invoices. Greater than one million Dutch folks pay a private contribution for long-term care yearly. Nearly 1 in 3 individuals who pay such a private contribution are confronted with stacking invoices. These are invoices by which the private contribution is charged for a number of months on the identical time. These usually concern weak individuals who face monetary uncertainty and fee issues attributable to stacking invoices. Our analysis reveals that the minister doesn’t have a good suggestion of the extent of the issue. And we all know what can occur then. So maintain paying consideration.
Luckily, loads went nicely. A great instance is the method to the power disaster. That was energetic and managed. In line with our analysis, the acquisition of corona vaccines and the steps taken in direction of CO2 storage underneath the North Sea had been additionally very environment friendly and efficient. One venture at LNV, Agriculture,
I might additionally like to say Nature and Fisheries: the reorganization of pig farms. A venture that has contributed to nitrogen discount and has offered experiences that translate into new schemes for farmers who retire.
What primarily prevents us from seeing outcomes is the shortage of clear, concrete targets. For instance, the 1.6 billion that the federal government has allotted to create equal alternatives in secondary vocational schooling. That was a plan with out clear targets, and due to this fact with out clear outcomes. And this additionally applies to many different extra expenditures of the Rutte 4 cupboard: it’s not clear from the annual stories what the outcomes are. And that is a disgrace. As a result of public cash requires public accountability, particularly when it includes a lot more money.
These are, in brief, our findings, our conclusions. Our suggestions, our classes to be discovered from this, are even shorter: select, simplify, management. Select: governing means making decisions. You possibly can’t do every thing. So select life like and concrete targets, present the outcomes and study from them. Simplify: be certain that the federal government can do what it guarantees, in order that residents know the place they stand. So cease piling up rules and too many exceptions. Make time to get programs so as. Simplify implementation. Test: guarantee higher democratic management over cash and outcomes. Not solely afterwards, but additionally earlier than and through. With an eye fixed to the long run.
So: do extra with evaluations, as proposed within the Van Vroonhoven/Vermeer movement, monitor interim outcomes, establish dangers and uncertainties and keep away from surprises. Ensure you know the outcomes of the ‘previous’ plans earlier than you provide you with new plans. So additionally: now that the Spring Memorandum is being launched earlier, this Accountability Day should additionally happen earlier within the yr.
On this manner, collectively we be certain that budgeting and accountability are the speaking vessels they need to be. On this manner, collectively we guarantee a authorities that makes higher decisions, prevents surprises, learns from what isn’t but going nicely and celebrates outcomes. As a result of celebrating outcomes is vital.
So: Accountability Day is Outcomes Day. A day to study from what isn’t going nicely and to have fun what goes nicely. No, I am not desirous about an enormous live performance or a meals truck pageant, however I am not desirous about a chilly bathe both. Relatively like a heat tub: a day to expertise collectively, with politicians, residents and firms. With a glass of champagne and maybe a touch of orange.
Mr Chairman, I might now wish to current to you our Accountability Survey for 2023. A abstract will now even be distributed to all of you. And you will discover a QR code on the abstract, we transfer with the occasions, of our new public model accountability app, for all folks within the Netherlands, ‘Our cash deciphered’. Thanks.
(ROLLING FROM THE HALL)
(BUZZING)
(Pieter Duisenberg takes the outcomes of the 2023 Accountability Survey from a glass suitcase and palms them over to the Home of Representatives.
