“Accounting standards support the generation of consistent quality management information for controlling and reporting on the use of current resources as well as informing future planning decisions” said Chris Ridley, member of ACCA’s (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Public Sector Global Forum at the sixth Astana Economic Forum in Kazakhstan recently.

At the event, Mr Ridley spoke in detail about the impact of implementing International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs), the advantages of accruals over cash accounting and of how assurance is important for public sector financial management.

As a member of ACCA’s Public Sector Global Forum, he also showed his support of the work undertaken by the global body for professional accountants during ‘The role of accounting and audit in a provision of sustainable development of state’s financial system in risky conditions’  the panel session, which was moderated by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Finance, Mr Bolat Zhamishev.

Mr Ridley added: “The UK government controls public sector spending through use of resource and capital in Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) and Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) together with a further limit on cash, which shows that although there are advantages to accrual accounting, cash still has to be managed by departments. An added advantage was the availability in the UK of a consolidated set of financial statements for the public sector, known as the Whole of Government Accounts.  A National Audit Office review of the Annual Accounts, building on the work of internal audit within individual organisations, gives assurance of the accounting methods used. 

“ACCA supports the view that the long-term financial sustainability of public finances, based on the right long-term growth model, will play a critical role in supporting economic recovery and preventing future crises. This improved economic governance goal should therefore be tackled more effectively.

“A concrete way of achieving this could be to comply with international accounting standards, such as IPSASs, and which would complement current national accounts in setting out their economic and fiscal positions based on statistical measures and forecasts.”

The Astana Economic Forum (AEF) is the largest event of its kind in Asia. More than 12,000 participants from 132 countries attended the forum. Among the delegates to the forum and the conference were 35 current and former ministers, 10 Nobel Laureates and more than 40 heads of international organisations, corporations and businesses.

For more information about ACCA’s Global Forum for the Public Sector, click here

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Alana Sinnen, ACCA Newsroom

+ 44 (0) 207 059 5807

+44 (0) 7715 812120

alana.sinnen@accaglobal.com

Helen Thompson, ACCA Newsroom

+44 (0)20 7059 5759

+44 (0)7725 498654

helen.thompson@accaglobal.com

Notes to Editors

1. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.
2. We support our 154,000 members and 432,000 students in 170 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. We work through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,400 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate regulation of accounting and conduct relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.
3. Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We believe that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and we ensure that through our qualifications, we prepare accountants for business. We seek to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating our qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers.