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Meeting of Pacific Public Accounts Committees
WORLD BANK GROUP GLOBAL GOVERNANCE PRACTICE
I M P R O V I N G P E R F O R M A N C E A N D S E T T I N G S T A N D A R D S
BACKGROUND
March 2010 Interna'onal Conference on Benchmarking and Self-‐Assessment for Democra'c Parliaments GLOBAL • Inter-‐Parliamentary Union (IPU) • UNDP • Commonwealth Parliamentary Associa>on • Na>onal Democra>c Ins>tute for Interna>onal Affairs (NDI) • Canadian Parliamentary Centre COMMONWEALTH • Commonwealth (La>mer House) La>mer House Guidelines on
Parliamentary Sovereignty and Judicial Independence
POSSIBLE BENCHMARKS
• Organiza>on
• Powers, func>ons and procedures
• Accessibility and transparency
• Rela>onships with Supreme Audit Ins>tu>on (SAI)
ORGANIZATION
• There should be a transparent method for selec>ng or elec>ng the chairs of commiQees
• CommiQees shall have the right to consult and/or employ experts
• The legislature should have an adequate non-‐par>san professional staff to support its opera>ons including the opera>ons of its commiQees
• The legislature draws and maintains a clear dis>nc>on between par>san and non-‐par>san staff
• Members and staff of commiQees have access to sufficient research, library, and ICT facili>es
POWERS, FUNCTIONS AND PROCEDURES
• Adequate advance no>ce of mee>ngs and the agenda for the mee>ng should be provided
• CommiQees have the power to summon persons, papers and records, and this power shall extend to witnesses and evidence from the Execu>ve branch, including officials and ministers
• Only MPs appointed to the commiQee should have the right to vote in the commiQee
• CommiQees provide meaningful opportuni>es for opposi>on par>es to engage in effec>ve oversight of government expenditures
• CommiQees have access to Execu>ve branch records of accounts & related documenta>on sufficient to be able to meaningfully review the accuracy of Execu>ve repor>ng on revenues and expenditures
POWERS, FUNCTIONS AND PROCEDURES
• CommiQee hearings should be held in public
• The record of votes of a commiQee should be a public document
• The legislature protects informants and witnesses presen>ng relevant informa>on to commiQee inquiries about corrup>on or other unlawful ac>vity.
• Witnesses should have the protec>on of parliamentary privilege to ensure they are able to give informa>on to the commiQee without fear of legal ac>on.
ACCESSIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY • Opportuni>es should be given for public input into commiQee
inquiries
• Informa>on is provided to the public in a >mely manner regarding maQers under considera>on by the legislature
• CommiQees promote the public’s understanding of their work
• CommiQee members should be required to disclose relevant business interests if there is poten>al for a perceived conflict of interest
• The legislature should have a non-‐par>san media rela>ons facility
• CommiQees have a performance measurement system to assess their effec>veness and performance
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE SAI • SAI reports should be tabled in the legislature in a direct and >mely
manner
• The PAC ensures that the SAI shall be provided with adequate resources and legal authority to conduct audits in a >mely manner
• The commiQee has a formal procedure for following up on its recommenda>ons
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