<\/p>\n
Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament has hailed the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) for its tremendous efforts in the fight against corruption in the country.<\/p>\n
He said without exaggeration, the PAC could be viewed as the nerve centre of the accountability and oversight functions of Parliament; saying \u201cits relevance and significance cannot be overstated.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said one of the major areas where there had been great progress was the institutionalization of the public hearings of the Auditor-General\u2019s report through the PAC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe PAC is arguably one of the most important Committees of Parliament,\u201d Speaker Bagbin stated in his presentation at the \u201cThe Third Eminent Guest Lecture\u201d at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).<\/p>\n
Speaking on the topic \u201cThe Future of Parliament in Ghana\u2019s Democratic Governance\u201d, Speaker Bagbin said over the years, the tradition of the PAC had been adopted by most Parliaments because of its singular attribute as an important watchdog committee, the apex of accountability, with oversight over the Executive spending.<\/p>\n
He said the frontal function that was spearheaded by the PAC involved not only compliance but more critically ensuring value for money in the implementation of policy. \u201cCurrently, the fundamental question about PACs is framed around how they can ensure the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of government policies and spending,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He noted that an effective PAC was composed of members whose primary dedication was to improve public administration and ensure that government provides services to its people according to the three E\u2019s (economy, efficiency, and effectiveness).<\/p>\n
He intimated that the PAC exacts accountability publicly from different agencies of government, that was tasked with the implementation and execution of policies and programmes based on legislative intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, the performance of the PAC is the gauge, the barometer of the performance and relevance of a Parliament,\u201d Speaker Bagbin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this sense, the clearest indicator of effective parliamentary performance is gauged by the performance of the PAC.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that during the fourth Parliament, the PAC opened its doors to the public and had since shed the light on transparency to some of the challenges around our public financial management systems.<\/p>\n
He said admittedly, there were some areas where Parliament needs to continue to strive to improve.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving been Chairman of the PAC from 2001 to 2005, I have had personal experiences with these challenges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Speaker Bagbin said an important indicator of the effectiveness of PAC and by extension Parliament, was the acceptance and implementation of the committee\/parliament\u2019s recommendations; adding that \u201cthis is one area where many PACs and Parliaments around the world have failed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do excellent work, produce beautiful and glossy reports, which attract very little government action. \u201cIndeed, there is no better satisfaction for a PAC than when government takes steps to implement its recommendations\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Speaker said getting recommendations accepted and implemented continues to be one of the biggest challenges of PACs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can Parliaments ensure the recommendations of PAC do not remain mere pieces of advice?\u201d the Speaker quizzed.<\/p>\n
He said in Ghana\u2019s Parliament some gains had been made; declaring that through the PAC\/Parliament recommendations, Parliament had with the support of civil society organisations (CSOs) passed a number of legislations such as the Audit Service Act, Internal Audit Agency Act, Public Financial Management Act, Public Investigation and Accountability Act, and now the Budget Bill was being processed for passage by Parliament.<\/p>\n
He said allied to the function of PAC was the critical function of every parliament to hold governments\u2019 responsible for their actions and decisions.<\/p>\n
He said Parliament was unique in being the only institution with a political mandate from the people to monitor the management of the state by the government.<\/p>\n
He said Parliaments carry out this onerous duty through their oversight function which aims to promote people\u2019s freedoms and well-being and to improve accountability and transparency in Government.<\/p>\n
Speaker Bagbin said oversight processes assess the impact of Government action on society; help ensure that appropriate resources were provided to implement government programs; identify unintended or negative effects of government policy and actions; and monitor the meeting of national and international commitments.<\/p>\n
Source: GNA<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Featured Video\n<\/p>\n\n
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