Communication and media
Listed below are the latest news articles published on the Swedish NAO website. Previous news related to our reports and review results can be accessed from our reports page or by using the website search in the page header.
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Inadequate measures for children’s rights
Sweden ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (“the CRC”) more than 30 years ago, and in 2020 it became law in Sweden. The audit of the Swedish National Audit Office (“the Swedish NAO”) shows that the state has not taken adequate measures for the CRC to have sufficient impact in practice.
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Prize for the best performance audit report awarded to the Supreme Audit Institution of Uganda
The Supreme Audit Institution of Uganda (Office of the Auditor General) has been awarded the prize for the best performance audit report within Afrosai-E – the organisation for Supreme Audit Institutions in English-speaking countries in Africa.
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Shortcomings in the evaluating and reporting development aid
The monitoring of Swedish development aid provides a great deal of information regarding output and outcomes of contributions, but needs a stronger emphasis on assessing long term impact. In addition, there are shortcomings in the Government’s reporting of the results of development aid to the Riksdag.
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Flawed protection of individuals under threat
State efforts to protect individuals under threat are flawed in several different respects. It is recommended that the Government and relevant agencies take measures to improve protection.
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Major shortcomings in long-term infrastructure planning
The Government has compromised long-term infrastructure planning through its management of the Swedish Transport Administration. The Swedish Transport Administration’s weak cost control has exacerbated the situation. This has led to decreased mobility and more road deaths than would otherwise have been possible.
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Weak governance and unclear effects of Business Sweden’s activities
There are several shortcomings in how the Government manages the partly state-owned Business Sweden. It is recommended that the Government consider whether the current unique hybrid form of the operations is best suited to achieving central government goals.
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Lowering the ceiling for tax deduction on home repair services is cost effective
Tax deduction aims to reduce undeclared labour and increase labour supply. To increase cost effectiveness, the Government should lower the ceiling for the maximum deduction amount and use more effective ways of combating undeclared labour and other working life crime.
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Fiscal policy in line with the framework but reporting should be improved
The Swedish National Audit Office has reviewed the Government’s proposed fiscal policy in the fiscal policy bills in 2023. The overall conclusion is that reporting is done in accordance with the fiscal policy framework, but that several important improvements should be made.
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Limited opportunities to prevent improper prescription of pharmaceuticals
Today, the central government and the regions have limited possibilities to prevent the prescription of medicinal products to the wrong people or for the wrong purpose. This puts patients in danger and entails substantial costs to society. The Swedish National Audit Office calls on the Government to improve supervision.
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Weak central government control of the emergency number 112
SOS Alarm falls short of the targets on the length of time it should take before a call to 112 is answered. Average call answer times also vary depending on where the calls come from. This is partly because central government control is not fully developed, leading to inefficiency, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit.
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The Riksbank’s purchase of securities: limited effect at a high cost
The Swedish National Audit Office does not find any evidence that the Riksbank’s extensive purchase of securities has had appreciable effects on inflation. The Riksbank underestimated the risks, and the purchases will lead to hefty losses.
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Shortcomings in higher education institutions’ management of research data requiring protection
Swedish higher education institutions do not have effective information security to manage research data requiring protection, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. Higher education institutions often lack knowledge both about which data needs protecting and how it should be protected.
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Major shortcomings in revoking residence permits
If a person is no longer permitted to stay in Sweden, their residence permit must be revoked. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that there are thousands of cases where this has not been done.
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Controls of subsidised employment need to be more effective
The central government spends SEK 18 billion every year on employment subsidy programmes for around 150,000 people. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that the design of these programmes can facilitate misuse and that some control elements are ineffective.
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Lack of equal treatment in compulsory land acquisition by the central government
Despite previous criticism of shortcomings, differences persist in government agencies’ treatment of property owners who are forced to give up or concede use of their land. Above all, it concerns the disparities in how compensation is determined, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit.
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Major risk of incorrect compensation for high sick pay costs
The design of the system for compensating employers for high sick pay costs presents a major risk of incorrect payments. The Swedish National Audit Office recommends more controls and better opportunities to share information between agencies. In addition, the obligation of employers to provide information should be strengthened, and combined with financial penalties.
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Insufficient central government measures for an efficient electricity system
The Government and government agencies have not implemented measures efficiently enough for the electricity system to evolve in line with the overall energy policy objective. Tardy action, short-termism and poor impact assessments are the main shortcomings, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit.
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Attempts to reduce waiting times in health care have been inefficient
The Government has made several efforts to reduce waiting times in health care. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that these efforts have had little impact and that waiting times remain long.
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Samhall does not fully fulfil its public policy assignment
Samhall fails to provide stimulating jobs for its employees. Sizeable staff groups and an all too uniform offering of work tasks limits its possibilities to offer matching jobs and thereby work-based development, which is the purpose of the operations.
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Incomplete and partly embellished picture of amended income taxes
During the years 2011–2023, annual income taxes were reduced by SEK 100 billion. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that the Government presented the Riksdag with an incomplete picture of what the effects would be.
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Sweden is not ready to handle old solar panels and wind turbine blades
Sweden is not ready to manage large anticipated future quantities of used solar panels and wind turbine blades. The Government, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and the Swedish Energy Agency need to take measures to ensure that these products can be reused or recycled as far as possible.
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Several risks to the implementation and effectiveness of the greenhouse gas reduction mandate
The reduction mandate contributes to Sweden’s chances of reaching its climate objectives. However, the current design is not fully feasible and risks leading to a number of unforeseen consequences. The Swedish National Audit Office (Swedish NAO) recommends that the Government produce better assessments ahead of new decisions.
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Sweden’s national communicable disease control needs to be strengthened
National communicable disease control works well under normal circumstances, but needs to be strengthened to increase the capacity to deal with future pandemics. Shortcomings in the regulatory framework, inadequate systems and data for national surveillance, and shared responsibility for infection prevention and control impact the effectiveness of disease control.
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Efforts to strengthen information and cyber security are inefficient
The Government’s efforts to strengthen information and cyber security in Sweden are inefficient. This is due in part to shortcomings in the national cyber security strategy, and in part because the Government’s control is weak and fragmented.
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Shortcomings in police management of volume crime
Police handling of volume crime is inefficient. The shortcomings are in part due to the fact that the police have not succeeded in staffing the local police districts to a sufficient extent, do not carry out essential skills development and set limits for the number of civilian employees that are too strict.
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Special events against serious crime can do more harm than good
When the Swedish Police Authority employs the ‘special event’ management approach to combat serious crime over a long period of time, it does more harm than good. In particular, this is because it often involves transferring resources, which has adverse implications in the local police districts that have to provide resources.
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Strengthening control on grants to civil society is necessary
Central government control of grants to civil society organisations is too weak. There is thus a risk of fraud and misuse, which may mean that urgent activities are crowded out and that confidence in central government grants is undermined.
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Agencies’ digital services need to improve
Government agencies’ work on developing digital services is proceeding slowly and has quality deficiencies, making it difficult for private individuals to fully use the services. The agencies need to improve digital services, and the Government needs to intensify efforts to enable agencies to share information with each other.
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Work on mandatory reporting needs to be more effective
Central government efforts to prevent healthcare-related injuries and mistreatment in health and social care of the elderly is not sufficiently effective. The Swedish National Audit Office recommends that support, supervision and follow-up be strengthened. Furthermore, the right of those affected and their close relatives to be heard should be strengthened.
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Signification reduction in fiscal space with new calculation method
The fiscal policy proposed by the Government and decided by the Riksdag is based on a new calculation method that gives a considerably bleaker picture of the state of public finances. The Government did not inform the Riksdag of the change.
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Award for the best performance audit goes to the Ghana Audit Service
For the second year running, the supreme audit institution of Ghana, Ghana Audit Service, is awarded the prize for the best performance audit within the African Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions, AFROSAI-E.
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Government agency relocations outside of Stockholm: minor but positive effects in the long term
Just over 4,000 “new” jobs and several million Swedish kronor less in costs for premises. These are some of the effects of the Government’s decision to relocate government agencies in locations other than Stockholm. Despite this, Stockholm’s proportion of the total number of central government employees is growing.
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The government service offices – expansion with teething problems
Three years ago, the National Government Service Centre took over responsibility for the national service offices. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that the activities have a series of deficiencies and that no additional government agencies should be affiliate before these shortcomings have been remedied.
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Measures against train delays are inadequate
Delay charges and right of recourse were introduced to counteract delays in railway traffic. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that, despite this, the number of delays has not decreased overall, and that this is in part due to deficiencies in the design of the policy instruments.
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Harassment and threats against central government employees are common
Harassment and threats against employees are a widespread problem at many government agencies, according to the Swedish National Audit Office’s audit. Incidents are usually handled well, but small agencies need expanded support.
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Poor control of supervision in the transport sector
The Swedish Transport Agency has an extensive and important supervisory remit. The Swedish National Audit Office audit shows that the Swedish Transport Agency has not ensured that supervision is carried out where it is most useful. Furthermore, the Swedish Transport Agency does not spend all of its appropriations, despite the fact that supervision is deficient in several areas.
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Deficiencies in the system of changing tracks in the migration process
The system of changing tracks in the migration process contains deficiencies in terms of controls and follow-up. This means there is a risk that sham employment and misuse go undetected, and that vulnerable people are exploited by unscrupulous employers.
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Focus on environmental considerations in central government procurement is insufficien
Sweden has high ambitions in terms of environmental considerations in public procurement. The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that many government agencies still need to improve their efficiency in this area.
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Shortcomings in important school statistics
Parts of the National Agency for Education’s statistics are not of sufficiently high quality, according to the Swedish National Audit Office audit. The shortcomings mainly concern statistics that aim to help pupils choose a school, and statistics used for resource allocation to school authorities to increase equality.
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Weak governance on climate change adaptation of the built environment
Weak governance and a lack of national follow-up means that it is not possible to assess whether climate adaptation efforts lead to reduced vulnerability to climate-related risks for Sweden’s municipalities. The Swedish National Audit Office is issuing a number of recommendations for more effective central government efforts in this area.
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