Fisheries and Oceans Canada
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Audit of the Budgeting, Utilization and Reporting of Funding for the Program for Sustainable Aquaculture - Management Action Plan
Project No.: 2003-65143a
Sector: Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
DAEC Approval Date: September 30, 2005
1st Follow-Up Status Report: July 6, 2006
| Recommendations | Management Action Plan | Initial Target date | Actions Completed | Actions Oustanding | Estimated Completion Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendation 1 The Deputy Minister should reaffirm the role of the Executive Director, Aquaculture Management, as the departmental functional authority for Aquaculture, supported in this functional role by the Regional Aquaculture Co-ordinators. |
A detailed action plan will be finalized after considering the results of the evaluation of the PSA, which should shed light on defining and clarifying the term "functional authority". In turn this will provide the necessary guidance in the development of a clear aquaculture governance role for AMD and the aquaculture file within the Department. | A detailed action plan is currently under development, which is intended to provide the necessary guidance in the development of a clear aquaculture governance role for AMD and the aquaculture file within DFO. The action plan will be finalized after considering the results of the evaluation of the DFO Management Model. |
Development and finalization of action plan. | March 2007 | |
| Recommendation 2 The Executive Director Aquaculture Management, working collaboratively with the Director General of Finance and the Director General of Program Planning and Coordination - Fisheries and Aquaculture Management, should ensure that a formally recognized methodology is adopted to facilitate the tracking of ACRDP project Salary dollars. In addition, they should ensure that all involved with the budgeting and utilizing of funds in support of Aquaculture understand and are committed to accurately coding these funds. |
A memorandum outlining this methodology, to ensure the proper tracking of ACRDP project salary dollars, will be produced. | October 31, 2005 | AMD initiated discussions with Audit, Finance, FAM and Science regarding the implementation of a standardized coding system for the ACRDP. The development of the recommended memorandum was delayed, given the significant workload, particularly in Finance. Prior to issuing the financial coding, consultations with other sectors are required to determine their respective specific needs. The memorandum will be prepared following the result of these consultations. |
Development and finalization of methodology to ensure proper tracking of ACRDP resources and subsequent implementation as communicated through memorandum. | October 2006 |
| Recommendation 3 The Executive Director Aquaculture Management, working collaboratively with the Director General of Finance and the Director General of Program Planning and Coordination - Fisheries and Aquaculture Management, should determine whether the current Program for Sustainable Aquaculture financial management coding structure should be expanded to include all resources budgeted for and expended on Aquaculture. ACRDP funding would continue to remain visible as a separate entity due to industry contribution to DFO projects. |
After consultation with other sectors and PP&C FAM, AMD will seek DMC's decision to implement this recommendation as DMC's approval is required to change the financial management coding structure to include all resources budgeted for and expended on Aquaculture. | In an effort to reaffirm its role as departmental functional authority, AMD has taken action to respond to this recommendation, noting that recommendations #2 and #3 are intricately linked and the resolution of #3 would automatically encompass and resolve #2. In the interim, discussions with Finance, Science and FAM have been initiated to determine the effectiveness of modifying the financial management coding system for all departmental aquaculture activities. The implementation of this solution needs to be deferred, pending the results of the discussions regarding the tracking of ACRDP resources under recommendation #2. |
Development and finalization of methodology to ensure proper tracking of aquaculture resources. | January 2007 | |
| Recommendation 4 The Executive Director, Aquaculture Management, should coordinate the establishment of Service Level Agreements between Assistant Deputy Ministers involved in the Aquaculture Program and the Regional Directors General to ensure accountability for: - Key Aquaculture commitments in support of delivering on Aquaculture Plan of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. - Funds budgeted and utilized in support of Aquaculture. - National consistency in reporting utilization of Aquaculture funding. |
Action on this recommendation should be deferred until the results of the evaluation are produced. The results would provide clarification on whether or not SLAs should be taken into consideration and at what level they should be produced (Executive Director to ADMs or ADM, FAM to ADMs). By creating SLAs at this level, the question of accountability regarding reporting structure will be brought forth and clarification regarding this needs to be presented. | Work is underway to determine the level of detail required to establish effective Service Level Agreements between HQ and the Regions. However, any action plan developed in this regard will be dependent upon the results of the ongoing aquaculture management framework renewal, consultations with other sectors and the regions, and the results of the evaluation of the DFO management model. |
An action plan is to be developed and SLAs will be drafted, as required. | March 2007 |
