Discussion on the matter of restitution of the rights and property of Holocaust victims and survivors – State Comptroller's report 24.1.23
Inbal Maliach, the Department Director of the State Comptroller's Government Ministries and Institutions Audit Division, depicted the situation which arose from the audit; among other things, she set out the failures in the Government's treatment of restitution of Jewish property and the implementation of parts of the work plan by the Ministry for Social Equality as mentioned in the report.
Likewise, since 2010 and onwards the Ministry for Social Equality had not made any estimates of the total value of private and communal Jewish property in European countries.
Discussion on the matter of service to the public at the Israel Tax Authority - extended follow-up audit 30.1.23
Hanan Fogel, Director of the Economic and National Infrastructures Audit Division, presented at the discussion the matter of the service in the various interfaces of the Israel Tax Authority, all as part of the Comptroller's emphasis on follow-up reports.
Among other things, various indicators in relation to the service and accessibility were presented: "From January to September 2021 the average waiting time at the Real Estate Valuation Division offices and the Real Estate Tax offices was 17:01 minutes".
Discussion on the State Comptroller's annual report on cyber and information systems - Foreign Trade System at the Israel Tax Authority 30.1.23
Yuval Hayu, Director of the Government Ministries and Institutions Audit Division, depicted the situation which arose from the audit of the Foreign Trade System (the Global Gateway Project) which included, among other things, delays in the completion of the project, an increase in the cost of developing the system, data security in the system and cyber protection in the supply chain.
Since the report concerns aspects of cyber and information systems many of its parts are confidential.
Discussion on the special report: the Government of Israel's activity and preparation for the climate crisis 31.1.23
Yuval Hayu, Director of the Government Ministries and Institutions Audit Division, and the writers of the report: Department Head Aaron Hellinger and Audit Conductors Mariana Bergovoy Lisasso, Lior Forkosh and Idit Daniel, gave a presentation.
Hayu set out before the Committee members and representatives from the government ministries who attended the discussion the main defects which the Comptroller had warned about: the climate crisis is not defined as a strategic threat, there is no national plan for preparation for climate changes, there is no economic appraisal of the crisis risks - and there is a lack the basic research and economic knowledge which is essential in order to properly prepare for it.
After he had finished speaking, the representatives from the various government ministries presented the plans they had formulated since the report was published in 2021, but they warned that the implementation of the measures designed to improve the situation had been held up more than once on account of budgetary difficulties and bureaucratic blocks. The Committee Chairman, MK Mickey Levy, also handed over the floor to representatives from the environmental organizations which had warned about the ever-increasing danger of the climate crisis.
Aviv Eshed, a high school student, asked the decision makers to make haste and act: "As the representative of the future generations in the room, I want to ask the members of Knesset and also the government ministries to not only acknowledge the crisis, but to also fight it as a genuine threat which exists and is threatening my future and all future generations - and act to stop it, first of all by passing a Climate Law with ambitious goals".
The Office of the State Comptroller is currently in the midst of writing a follow-up report on the matter. The report is expected to be published shortly before the convening of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28( to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November. "At the moment, there is no optimistic picture on many fronts", said Hayu, "We shall continue to follow the matter".
Discussion on the local authorities' treatment of dangerous structures and the establishment of the city Harish - local government audit report 01.2.23
At the start of the discussion the Director of the Local Government Audit Division, Miri Razin, depicted the situation which arose from the audit and indicated the failures, among others things, in the byelaws for the treatment of dangerous structures, the procedures, the follow-up discussion and control and more.
Against the background of the ever-present fear of earthquakes in Israel, alongside the fear of the disaster of the collapse of old unmaintained structures, the need for regulation of the matter of the treatment of dangerous structures becomes even more pressing.
The second matter concerning the city Harish:
Gad Lind, a department head in the Local Government Audit Division, related to a number of main matters which had arisen from the audit, among other things, from the aspect of the anticipated population of the city, employment areas and providing transportation solutions.
.jpeg)
