MHA produces first annual report

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands – The Ministry of Home Affairs has released its first Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2014-2015.

The report is chock full of information about the 10 agencies that comprise the Ministry.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is primarily focused on the Cayman Islands’ national security and public safety. MHA is responsible for providing all policy direction and monitoring the overall performance of its departments. Its intent is to ensure the country remains both a safe and secure place to live, visit and invest.

Priority areas for the Ministry include guarding against cyber threats through advanced technology, maintaining a balance between security and facilitating immigration, ensuring police powers and resources are proportionate and effective to detect and reduce crime, fostering collaborative partnerships between criminal justice agencies and community organisations to improving business process management, staff development and financial management in the Fire Service.

The annual report can be found on the Ministry’s website at www.mha.gov.ky.

The MHA Annual Report comprises 70 pages. The following is a very small portion published from it. Our readers are encouraged to download the complete report (see above).

GOVERNANCE & STRATEGIC STATEMENT

Premier and Minister for Home Affairs, Health and Culture

It gives me great pride and honour to present this first Annual Report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the financial year ending 30 June, 2015.

As Premier and Minister of Home Affairs I am pleased with the work that the men and women in the 10 agencies comprised in the Ministry do each and every day to ensure the safety of all Caymanians, residents and visitors.

I am equally proud of the seven staff members who received the Deputy Governor’s Award, which highlights the outstanding and exceptional efforts of civil servants across core government. It also pleases me that the Ministry won the Top Employer Award in the small to medium employer category at the Cayman Islands Society of Human Resource Professionals’ annual Top Employer Gala. That event aims to recognize employers of excellent standards in private, public and non-profit organisations while encouraging better business practices. The Ministry of Home Affairs was recognized consecutively in

2014 and 2015 as a Top Employer and one of the Best Places to Work in the Cayman Islands, making it the first government department to earn such recognition.

The remit in the Ministry of Home Affairs is vast, from guarding against cyber threats through advanced technology, maintaining a balance between security and facilitating immigration, ensuring police powers and resources are proportionate and effective to detect and reduce crime, fostering collaborative partnerships between criminal justice agencies and community organisations to improving business process management, staff development and financial management in the Fire Service.

At its basic, the Ministry of Home Affairs is tasked with the country’s national security and public safety. Our intent is that the

Cayman Islands remains both a safe and secure place to live, visit and invest. We remain steadfast in our duties.

I commend the men and women throughout the Ministry who work tirelessly to help us meet our mandate day in and day out. I also thank the wider community for its continued encouragement and support.

We will continue to seek that support as we strive to do all we can to Make Cayman Better, which is really the Ministry’smain objective.

Hon. Alden McLaughlin, MBE, JP, MLA

Premier and Minister for Home Affairs, Health and Culture

OPERATIONS STATEMENT

Chief Officer for the Ministry of Home Affairs

As Chief Officer for the Ministry of Home Affairs I am particularly proud to present the Ministry’s first Annual Report for the financial year ending 30 June, 2015. This reporting period was by no means void of challenges; albeit collective dedication to the Ministry’s sole purpose – To Make Cayman Better – resulted in the delivery of public services and programmes.

Through the lens of fiscal responsibility we have sought to bolster the quality of services provided to the public, especially as they relate to public safety, border control, emergency management, and offender rehabilitation. In seeking to strike this balance we have remained a strong proponent of providing staff with the relevant training, exposure, and key resources to support innovative decision-making.

Notwithstanding the results produced across the Ministry’s departments, a retrospective view of the reporting period has revealed key themes on which we will focus our energy, resources, and overall direction to stimulate improvement: (1) customer service (2) financial management, (3) improved internal processes, and (4) leadership.

In taking an increased strategic approach, the Ministry will reinforce financial requirements needed to sustainably support the delivery of public services under our remit, while also supporting growth in the private sector by contributing to an enhanced quality of life. Moreover, we will refine internal processes and governance frameworks in order to strengthen our capacity to maximise the delivery of services and minimize business risks. Finally, we will actively work to close gaps in leadership and build resiliency to ensure that we continually adapt to the changing needs of the Cayman Islands without compromising the quality of service received by our internal and external customer bases.

Included in this annual report is the Ministry’s unqualified financial report for the fiscal year. This was an unprecedented achievement by the management and staff of the Ministry as prior to this year the presentation of annual reports and unqualified financials within the statutory timeframe by one of the larger ministries was a goal rather than reality. It was a team effort which is indicative of the new culture of the organisation and the government as a whole as we improve accountability in the service.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Ministry of Home Affairs, I wish to thank our employees throughout our departments for their dedicated efforts and service to the public, as well as express my gratitude for the continuing support we receive from the community.

Eric Bush, JP
Chief Officer for the Ministry of Home Affairs

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

These financial statements have been prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs in accordance with the provisions of the Public Management and Finance Law (2013 Revision).

We accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the financial information in these financial statements and their compliance with the Public Management and Finance Law (2013 Revision).

As Chief Officer I am responsible for establishing; and have established and maintained a system of internal controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that the transactions recorded in the financial statements are authorised by law, and properly record the financial transactions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

As Chief Officer and Chief Financial Officer we are responsible for the preparation of the Ministry of HomeAffairs financial statements, representation and judgements made in these statements.

The Ministry does not make any assertion in regards to the non-exchange transactions. The Ministry is unable to obtain reliable costing information from the relevant government departments for services provided.

With exception to the issue raised in the preceding paragraph, the financial statements fairly present the financial position, financial performance and cash flows of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the financial year ended 30 June 2015.

To the best of our knowledge we represent that these financial statements:

(a) Completely and reliably reflect the financial transactions of Ministry of Home Affairs for the year ended 30June 2015;

(b) fairly reflect the financial position as at 30 June 2015 and performance for the year ended 30 June 2015;

(c) comply with International Public Sector Accounting Standards as set out by International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board under the responsibility of the International Federation of Accountants. Where guidance is not available, the financial statements comply with International Accounting Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Committee or accounting practice that is generally accepted in the United Kingdom as appropriate for reporting in the public sector.

The Office of the Auditor General conducts an independent audit and expresses an opinion on the accompanying financial statements.   The Office of the Auditor General has been provided access to all the information necessary to conduct an audit in accordance with International Standards of Auditing.

Eric Bush                                                                                                 Vinton Chinsee

Chief Officer                                                                                           Chief Financial Officer

October 31, 2015                                                                                   October 31, 2015