Praise and criticism for the state government comes from the new president of the Saarland audit office.
After successful consolidation, it is important to stay on course.
The type of sports funding and the large number of special funds are criticized.
Saarbrücken - Most of the 150 or so bus stops in Saarland that have been made accessible for disabled people do not serve their purpose and show clear deficiencies. This is the result of the Saarland Audit Office in its 2020 annual report. The Ministry of Economics had set up a special program with 35 million euros for the renovations.
"The tactile guidance system for blind and visually impaired people has largely not been implemented in accordance with standards or even seriously flawed," said the new Court of Audit President Annette Groh on Thursday.
It irritates users rather than helping them.
"We see a danger in this and have therefore urgently advised that structural corrections be carried out at many of the newly built stops."
Groh also criticized “expensive and very chic designer houses” such as in Merchweiler (Neunkirchen district), which may be visually appealing in terms of urban planning, but not functional.
The Court of Auditors had “completely questioned” the grant for this.
There was also clear criticism from the independent auditors of the confusing sports funding.
“There is often a lack of transparency and clear rules when it comes to distribution,” said the President.
It is "very difficult to show what exactly flows in sports funding, and the decision-making often even seems arbitrary".
The Court of Auditors recommended that appropriate funding guidelines be drawn up and the number of institutions that decide on funding should be reduced.
At best, there is only one body that is affiliated to the Ministry of Sports or at least placed under its supervision.
In the report on the budget situation in Saarland, the state government received praise and criticism.
The Court of Auditors expressly welcomes the fact that the state was able to successfully complete the consolidation process and restructuring program that will run until 2020, even under the difficulties of the corona pandemic, “with considerable efforts of its own”.
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However, Groh recommended, above all, that net new debt be “reduced to the absolute minimum”.
Saarland's debt level could grow to 16.1 billion euros by the end of 2024.
At the end of 2019, the debt was around 14.1 billion euros.
According to Groh, the regulations of the debt brake are not there to just incur new debts because of the current low interest rate: "We really want to counter this, because somebody has to pay off the whole thing at some point, interest or not."
The independent auditors also criticized the number of ten special funds - and that the portfolio, especially in the “Future Initiative” special fund, had grown to 728.2 million euros.
The Court of Auditors recommends limiting structural overspending of the state “to an indispensable level” and working out a consolidation concept for the time after the current exceptional situation.
dpa
