The recently-constituted Anguilla Public Accounts Committee (PAC), an oversight body of the House of Assembly, has begun preparations, through a two-day virtual workshop, for its first sitting in January 2021. The Committee, chaired by Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, comprises a number of members of both sides of the House.
The workshop, conducted by the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, began on Monday, November 16, at the conference room of the House of Assembly. In addition to the Anguillian participants, including Government officials, the virtual workshop brought together members from the Isle of Man Parliament, the Senedd Cymru-Welch Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Deputy Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, Mr. Perin Bradley, spoke on behalf of the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, at Monday’s opening session. He applauded the steps being taken by the chairperson and members of the Public Accounts Committee to strengthen their capacity to engage in their oversight work.
“Oversight of the Executive is central to the work of the Assembly – and our collective struggle to deliver good governance and financial management on behalf of the people of Anguilla,” he stated. “Within our context then, the Public Accounts Committee, as the single functioning oversight committee, must stand as the Assembly’s Champion in this struggle. The need for a robust PAC now, more than ever, has arisen in the face of a global financial crisis, exacerbated by Covid-19, climate change and a myriad of other factors.”
The Deputy Speaker, went on: “It is my hope that, as the committee continues to grow, we can likewise support the development of an appropriate framework that creates an enabling environment for its efficient operation. This framework would include a widened remit for the Chief Auditor so as to provide value for money audits, and close support for the committee; as well as a strengthened House Services Department that is fully capable of supporting the work of this and other committees.”
Mr. Bradley thanked the CPA-UK and the UK Overseas Territories Programme for their continued partnership with the Anguilla House of Assembly.
Chairperson of the Anguilla Public Accounts Committee, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, was pleased that the former Chairperson, Ms. Palmavon Webster, had joined the other participants at the workshop.
She continued: “As many of you may know, this Public Accounts Committee was recently constituted and all the members, with the exception of Mr. Jose Vanterpool, who was part of the previous committee, are relatively new to this committee. And so, these series of workshops, and the post-election seminar, are necessary for us to be able to understand our role – and to engage with our public accounting offices to ensure that they understand their role so as to make our job more effective. We look forward to this workshop and thank you for joining us.”
The opening session of the virtual workshop was also addressed by Mr. Jon Davies, Chief Executive of CPA-UK. He saw the workshop as an exchange of learning among the Anguilla and off-island participants, and thanked all of them for their participation.
The expected impact of the workshop is to enable the Anguilla Public Accounts Committee and Clerks to increase their capacity to perform their duties; and to assist Accounting Officers to enhance their understanding of the Public Accounts Committee and their role and responsibilities as potential witnesses.
