2015 December Hot Audit News
To promote energy saving and carbon reduction, and to respond the demand of Green Power, Ministry of Economics have been operating a voluntary "green electricity price" system for three years since July 1, 2014. In this program, citizens or operators voluntarily consume green electricity and then increase NT$ 1.06 per kilowatt-hour. Bureau of Energy is responsible for the program revision and the rate determination; Taiwan Power Company is entrusted to takes in charge of the administrative tasks of green electricity. Until the end of 2014, the purchase of green electricity amounted to 4.35 million kilowatt-hours and actually used 4.24 million kilowatt-hours, which brought NT$ 4.49 million in revenue. However, National Audit Office (NAO) found out that the program did not set the annual goal clearly and not regulated the evaluation systems, which affected the program effectiveness and the purchase of green electricity. Since the notification of the NAO, the Bureau of Energy has set the sales goal for 2015 to 10 million kilowatt-hours. Until the end of October 2015, the actual purchase of green electricity amounted to 156.27 million kilowatt-hours, which increased the revenue of NT$ 165.65 million after use.
To improve the night lighting on the roads in New Taipei City, to promote the public security and to maintain the streetlights effectively, New Taipei City Government spent NT$38.73 million to establish a “Streetlights Maintenance and Management system”, and finished 110 thousand streetlights in 19 districts. However, New Taipei City Audit Division found out that 392 repaired streetlights were reported to repair in the system again within one week, and 732 streetlights had not been repaired after reporting, which affected the security of the road occupants at night. Since the notification of the Audit Division, the government had asked the manufacturers to repair the broken streetlights, or replaced traditional mercury light lambs with LED streetlights by the end of September 2015. Consequently, the monthly rate of reporting repair decreased form 0.23% to 0.08%, which improved the security of residents the road occupants at night effectively.
In order to provide fair-price, reliable and universal Child Care Centers, the Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government held a program of “Fair Price for Childcare Services in Taichung City” in 2013 and budgeted NT$ 375.40 million from 2013 to 2014. When the residents send their 0-2 years old children to Child Care Centers or to caring staff in Taichung, every resident can be subsidized NT$ 2,000 to 3,000 per month, and the pricing standards of the caring staff cannot higher than the standards which were announced by the government. However, Taichung City Audit Division found out that some districts did not have enough caring staff so that they could not satisfy the nursing demands. Moreover, the Bureau did not set inspection mechanisms, so the caring staff overcharged the care fee. After notified by the Audit Division, the Bureau had set a target amount of caring staff according to the nursing demand of districts, and conducted promotions and rewards through various modes. Therefore, the amount of caring staff increased from 2,614 in September 2014 to 2,858 in July 2015, the amount of caring centers increased from 86 in September 2014 to 93 in July 2015, and the subsidy amount of children increased from 3,705 in September 2014 to 6,826 in July 2015. Besides, the department revised the regulations that the caring staff who violate the pricing standards will be canceled subsidies and shall pay default fines, and brought the charging items and amount into the inspection mechanisms. All the improvements above provided the fair-price childcare services and released the burden on nursing children.
To protect the ecosystem and natural resources of Gaomei Wetlands, and to maintain biodiversity, Taichung City Government has separated the wetlands to three areas, which called “core zone”, “buffer zone” and “sustainable use zone” since July 2012. Visiters are prohibited from entering the core zone (at a distance of 400 meters off-shore) and the buffer zone (at a distance of 100 meters off-shore). However, the Taichung City Audit Division found out that after the regulation was excused on July 23, 2012, there were 6 penalty cases that visitors strayed into the prohibited areas by the end of 2012. And people often complained that the patrols did not dissuade visitors from entering the prohibited areas so that the wetlands ecosystem was destroyed by anthropogenic actions. After notified by the Audit Division, the government completed a 619m length of wood sidewalk in March 2014 for managing the tour range, and strengthened the patrol and ban for preventing the artificial damage. At the end of October 2015, there were 79 penalty cases that fined NT$3.65 million in total.
To improve the night lighting on the roads in New Taipei City, to promote the public security and to maintain the streetlights effectively, New Taipei City Government spent NT$38.73 million to establish a “Streetlights Maintenance and Management system”, and finished 110 thousand streetlights in 19 districts. However, New Taipei City Audit Division found out that 392 repaired streetlights were reported to repair in the system again within one week, and 732 streetlights had not been repaired after reporting, which affected the security of the road occupants at night. Since the notification of the Audit Division, the government had asked the manufacturers to repair the broken streetlights, or replaced traditional mercury light lambs with LED streetlights by the end of September 2015. Consequently, the monthly rate of reporting repair decreased form 0.23% to 0.08%, which improved the security of residents the road occupants at night effectively.
In order to provide fair-price, reliable and universal Child Care Centers, the Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government held a program of “Fair Price for Childcare Services in Taichung City” in 2013 and budgeted NT$ 375.40 million from 2013 to 2014. When the residents send their 0-2 years old children to Child Care Centers or to caring staff in Taichung, every resident can be subsidized NT$ 2,000 to 3,000 per month, and the pricing standards of the caring staff cannot higher than the standards which were announced by the government. However, Taichung City Audit Division found out that some districts did not have enough caring staff so that they could not satisfy the nursing demands. Moreover, the Bureau did not set inspection mechanisms, so the caring staff overcharged the care fee. After notified by the Audit Division, the Bureau had set a target amount of caring staff according to the nursing demand of districts, and conducted promotions and rewards through various modes. Therefore, the amount of caring staff increased from 2,614 in September 2014 to 2,858 in July 2015, the amount of caring centers increased from 86 in September 2014 to 93 in July 2015, and the subsidy amount of children increased from 3,705 in September 2014 to 6,826 in July 2015. Besides, the department revised the regulations that the caring staff who violate the pricing standards will be canceled subsidies and shall pay default fines, and brought the charging items and amount into the inspection mechanisms. All the improvements above provided the fair-price childcare services and released the burden on nursing children.
To protect the ecosystem and natural resources of Gaomei Wetlands, and to maintain biodiversity, Taichung City Government has separated the wetlands to three areas, which called “core zone”, “buffer zone” and “sustainable use zone” since July 2012. Visiters are prohibited from entering the core zone (at a distance of 400 meters off-shore) and the buffer zone (at a distance of 100 meters off-shore). However, the Taichung City Audit Division found out that after the regulation was excused on July 23, 2012, there were 6 penalty cases that visitors strayed into the prohibited areas by the end of 2012. And people often complained that the patrols did not dissuade visitors from entering the prohibited areas so that the wetlands ecosystem was destroyed by anthropogenic actions. After notified by the Audit Division, the government completed a 619m length of wood sidewalk in March 2014 for managing the tour range, and strengthened the patrol and ban for preventing the artificial damage. At the end of October 2015, there were 79 penalty cases that fined NT$3.65 million in total.
