Accounting for social areas weak.

OTTAWA -- Auditor-General Sheila Fraser reported inadequacies in the federal government's handling of social programs. These include:

* inadequate controls on the issuance of Social Insurance Numbers;

* lack of information of the health spending by provinces of the federal Canada Health and Social Transfer;

* gaps and weaknesses in the way Health Canada tracks diseases.

The Auditor General reports that Gaps SINS issued for people over 20 exceeds the actual population in that age group by 5 million. The AG finds that Human Resources Development Canada does not properly identify applicants; and does not control the 900- series issued to temporary residents (including refugees awaiting appeal hearings. HRDC has announced changes in documentation required for SiN applicants. The 900- series will have expiry dates. Inactive SINS will be cancelled.

Because the transfers under the Canada Health Act are part of the CHST block grant, the federal government has little ability to determine if the conditions of the Act are being respected.

"Parliamentarians are expected to make decisions on billions of dollars transferred to the provinces and territories for health care," said the auditor "but they still don't have enough information to know the extent to which the Canada Health Act is being respected".

Gaps and weaknesses in the way Health Canada tracks diseases leave Canadians vulnerable, says Sheila Fraser. She found that Health Canada made significant progress in developing a national diabetes surveillance system, but gaps remain in the surveillance of most other chronic diseases--including cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease, cancer (except breast cancer), chronic respiratory disease, and mental illness--as well as injuries. Information about risk determinants and the impact of interventions, screening, and treatment on health is also lacking.