Parliaments have a role in scrutinising the work of the government, particularly through Select Committees. Public Accounts Committees scrutinise the financial expenditure of the government and taxpayer’s money, ensuring transparency and accountability within Government, and making recommendations to ensure taxpayers receive best value for money on government spending. Working with oversight committees such as Public Accounts Committees is one of the key ways CPA UK supports financial scrutiny, ensuring members have the technical expertise and knowledge to hold governments to account on behalf of their citizens. CPA UK collaborates closely with the UK Public Accounts Committee to ensure current expertise and experience underpins its extensive body of work with similar committees across the Commonwealth.

WORKING WITH THE UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES

Over the last four years, CPA UK has been partnering with UK Overseas Territories to strengthen oversight of public finances, working closely with Public Accounts Committees through technical assistance, training and mentoring culminating in CPA UK delivering a third forum for all territories to share knowledge gained over the last four years, reflect on ongoing challenges and look for ways to continue building skills.

CPA UK has supported committees to have more and better capacity to achieve scrutiny and oversight of public finances. It has also led to increased prioritisation of financial issues amongst governing bodies and legislatures. In some Overseas Territories, it has also helped Public Accounts Committees hold their first inquiries after a significant time, introduce better quality processes and systems, or produce new reports and recommendations for governments.

Feedback from Overseas Territories has shown key areas where there has been strengthened capacity including improved institutional capacity and confidence, increased individual/staff capacity, higher standards incorporated and applied higher (political) prioritisation of the issue of scrutiny of public finances.

In Focus: Anguilla

REGIONAL WORKSHOPS

Funded by the Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy, a UK Government-funded programme, CPA UK delivered a series of Regional Workshops supporting Public Accounts Committees including one for Asian legislatures in August 2019 and one for Caribbean parliamentarians in January 2020.

These Workshops explored the key current challenges faced by Public Account Committees across the Commonwealth, enabling the exchange of ideas and expertise on how these committees can increase their efficiency and effectiveness in scrutinising public expenditure and to promote good governance and best practice.

The programme for each of the Regional Workshops was based on the results of the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees Biennial Survey which delegates completed before the Workshop. This survey asked committees to rate themselves against a set of principles and helped CPA UK to create content which was tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the region.

While each Regional Workshop explored a diverse range of themes, tailored to their context, some common topics emerged, such as: public engagement and working with the media; effective questioning techniques; building consensus; and blockers and enablers for Public Accounts Committee work.

In Focus: Maldives