Anguilla’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Stanley Reid, has given clear guidance to public servants about the functions of the Public Accounts Committee and the way government employees are required to perform in their accounting duties to avoid potential difficulties.
Mr. Reid, who has responsibility for the public service, has over three months more in office before he vacates his position. He will be succeeded by Mr. Perin Bradley. Mr. Reid addressed Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Department and Chairpersons of Statutory Boards and others on Tuesday, April 5. The event was a three-day workshop, about the functions of the House of Assembly-appointed Public Accounts Committee, conducted mainly by visiting UK officials.
In his powerpoint presentation, the Deputy Governor spoke on “The role of the Civil Service in the Accounting Process”. He emphasised that “adherence to established principles of accountability reflected in guidelines, rules, regulations and laws will assist in ensuring the operation of an effective accountability system”. He noted that in that regard “a system is only as good as the persons who operate it”.
He made reference to a number of documents pertaining to the operations of the Anguilla Public Service/Government of Anguilla and the expectations of public officers in the accounting process. The relevant documents included the Public Service Code of Ethics, General Orders, the Public Service Election Guidelines, and the Duties & Powers of the Legislative (Procedure) Rules, 1976.
He pointed out that under those Rules, the duties and powers of the Public Accounts Committee are:
? “(a) to ascertain that the authorised expenditure during each year, including supplementary expenditure, has been applied to the purposes prescribed by the Legislature;
? “(b) to scrutinise the causes which may have led to any excess over authorised expenditure, and to verify applications of savings on other authorised items of expenditure;
? “(c) to make an effective examination of public accounts kept in any Department of Government; and
? To summon any public officer to give any information, or any explanation or to produce any records or documents which the Committee may consider necessary in the performance of its duties.”
Referring to the enforcing of powers by the Public Accounts Committee, Mr. Reid quoted section 9 (1) of the House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act which states as follows:
“Any person who
? (j) disobeys any order to attend, or to produce documents before, any committee duly authorised in that behalf;
? (k) refuses to be examined before, or to answer any question put by, any committee;
? (l) gives false evidence, prevaricates or commits other misconduct as a witness before any committee;
? (m) destroys any document that has been ordered to be produced before a committee;
is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $4,800 or to imprisonment for a term of 3 months or both”.
Mr. Reid ended his address as follows:
“The Anguilla Public Service has established guidelines, rules, regulations and laws speaking to accountability on the part of Public Officers.
“The mere existence of the guidelines, rules, regulations and laws is not sufficient to ensure high standards of accountability.
“High standards can only be assured through the consistent application of, and adherence to, the established guidelines, rules, regulations and laws. Our conduct is what makes the difference.”
