Igas in brief
The “Inspection Générale des Affaires Sociales” (“General inspectorate for social affairs” or Igas) is the office of the French government in charge of audit, evaluation and inspection for health, social security, and social care; in addition to employment and labour policies, programs and services.
Established in 1967, Igas is responsible for oversight of the €800 billion portfolio of the French Ministries of Labor, Social Affairs and Health’s programs, operations and services. Igas has jurisdiction over all institutions, whether public (governmental, regional and local authorities, agencies, joint commissions, etc.) or private (companies, NGOs and charities, etc.), if they receive public funding or appeal to public generosity.
Approximately 130 professionals from diverse backgrounds work for Igas (graduates from INSP - formerly ENA, hospital managers, labour administration officers, medical doctors, pharmacists, engineers…), with expertise in law, economics, public policies, technology, medicine, strategy, management and administration. 45% of Igas professionals are women.
An essential source of information for the Government
Igas is an essential source of information and advice for the Government in the area of social policy. It is also one of the most trusted sources of expertise in France for all public and private stakeholders. The mission statement of Igas is to support systemic improvements, improve compliance and implementation in the field of social services on top of delivering general guidance in this area IGAS identifies opportunities to improve budget management and the efficiency and effectiveness of social policy programs, services and government decision-making.
Igas reports to the ministers of health, social affairs and labor about program and management issues as well as any difficulties regarding public policies and recommendations. Igas may also be consulted and tasked with specific missions by the Prime Minister and other ministers (for example: ministers of housing, urban policy, immigration and civil service).
Key areas of intervention include: health, social security (pensions, health insurance, etc), social care, poverty reduction, children in care, labor and employment, vocational training, public management and public sector strategy and management. Main types of interventions include: audits, evaluations, consulting, inspections, disciplinary actions, support to high-level personalities and/or committees as well as interim management.
Igas is also in charge of managing:
- the inspection and control of the field offices of the health, social and labor ministries;
- the European funds audit office;
- the occupational health service of the health, social and labor ministries.
To achieve its assignments, Igas has developed a comprehensive and effective quality audit, evaluation, and inspection methodology which consists of meetings and investigations based on documented evidence and on-site reviews. It is conducted over several weeks by teams of experts who are in charge of writing the report. Subsequent peer review of the analysis and recommendations of the report is also included in the process as well as a parallel procedure involving the audited party for some reports.
The independence of Igas professionals is protected when they write their reports. Igas operates an internal ethics committee for dealing with possible conflicts of interest. Since 1967, around 6 500 assignments have been fulfilled in the different areas of intervention. Between 2019 and 2022, 250 reports have been published on the Igas website (https://igas.gouv.fr/).