State Minister in the Ministry of Information, Robert Morgan, has rubbished claims made that there is a plot to oust the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Collette Roberts Risden.

The claims stem from a recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting in which the permanent secretary appeared and was questioned about the findings of an internal audit which highlighted procurement irregularities in the ministry.

“I am not aware of a practice by this government to act in such a manner. The accountability processes exist. They’re very transparent, and they’re very clear,” said Morgan, who was asked about the matter during a post Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday ( February 3).

“You could ask me in an argument, if you wish, about the questioning: but then you’d have to base that argument on whether the questions were fair and unfair. I cannot make a judgement. That is for the committee to decide, in their right as legislators, how they interrogate matters that are before them. I don’t know of any merit to the accusation. I’ve seen no evidence of it, and that is not how this government functions,” added Morgan.

Roberts Risden was grilled by members of the PAC who took issue with her lack of written documentation and slow response times to the findings of internal audits.

At the session Roberts Risden explained that when she took over the running of the ministry in 2015, the government entity was eight years behind in its appropriation accounts.

She admitted that, while some managers in the ministry were slow to respond, most of the findings highlighted in the audit had been addressed, even though written responses may not have been provided.

“Chairman, the ministry is a dynamic ministry. Auditors are continually auditing. So you will have audits done in 2018, 2017, 2019, 2020. And as we speak, I’m sure the internal auditors are doing audits. And as audits are done, responses are done. I will admit, because I’m not gonna sit here and mislead the Parliament, I will admit that we do have some of our directors who may be slow to respond,” Roberts Risden told the committee.

“The ministry has a process. And I want to assure this house that in some instances, while there may not have been a written response to some of the internal audit findings, it does not mean that issues were not addressed,” added Roberts Risden.