CZK 1.8 billion missing for reconstruction of cultural sites. Repairs are prolonged and more expensive.
Press release for the audit No 17/01, 6th November 2017
The Supreme Audit Office examined the funds provided by the Ministry of Culture (“the Ministry”) for the "Program záchrany architektonického dědictví” (“Architectural Heritage Rescue Programme”) in the years 2013-2016. This programme is intended to conserve and restore cultural sites such as castles, chateaus, monasteries, and palaces. In the inspected four-year period, the Ministry spent a total of CZK 648 million on this programme and supported 915 repair projects. However, a maximum of one third of applicants were supported each year. To satisfy everyone, CZK 1.8 billion should have been added in the budget. The repairs of cultural sites are significantly longer due to the lack of funds and some of them last for more than 15 years. The programme's measurable targets are missing so the Ministry cannot evaluate its benefits.
The programme should contribute to the fast and effective monument conservation and restoration. Unfortunately, this does not work and - because of the lack of money- individual projects have to be divided into sub-projects. Repairs are therefore executed in parts. The restoration of individual monuments is significantly prolonged, often 15 years or more. Additional costs are also increasing, e.g. for the building site equipment or for maintaining of monuments. For example, the repair of the facade of the Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor in the town of Tábor increased the cost by more than CZK 1.6 million, which was 23% of the total repair costs from 2009 to 2015.
The Architectural Heritage Rescue Programme is not a part of so called programme funding and the funds are earmarked repeatedly from the state budget each year. If the conservation and restoration of monuments was included in the programme funding, funds for this programme could be allocated over a longer period of time. Thus, the conservation and restoration of monuments could be planned more efficiently.
The Ministry of Culture has also only very general programme objectives that have not for 22 years. In the SAO´s opinion, the Ministry can not sufficiently evaluate the benefits of the programme. For example, it is not determined what target values are to be reached as regards the renewal of monuments in a certain time. According to auditors, the Ministry evaluated the benefits of the programme only formally.
It is also difficult to evaluate the benefits of individual actions. For the already completed actions, the Ministry has not required information on how the repairs helped the monument in its further use, for example, for cultural or social purposes, even though the applicants were obliged to indicate this information in the support application.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office