Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Supporting The Works of Public Accounts Committees – Strategies for Success
Deji Olaore World Bank Institute (WBI)
Parliamentary Committees Meetings
Committees are a Parliamentary or Legislative body’s most important institutional mechanism
The most important and greatest legislative business are conducted at the committee level
The greater the strength of its committee system, the greater the capacity of the Parliament to be an effective initiator of public policy
Committee is the engine room of a Legislative institution.
PAC Business Processes
Work Plan
After Meetings
Preparation for Meetings
Conduct of Meetings
Work Plan
During this stage the Chair, Members and Secretariat work to identify the priority of the Committee
Once the priority areas for the next year have been identified, an outline calendar is developed
Secretariat allocates specific activities to months but not yet to specific meetings
Committee Calendar is shared among members and staff
Preparation for meetings For each agreed meeting/inquiry the Secretariat carries out
specific set of activities, which broadly involve liaising with specialist advisors, such as the SAI/AG, to identify witnesses and evidence
Assigning these meetings to specific days
For every meeting the Secretariat will prepare a Notice of Meeting and a Briefing Note
Conducts of Meetings The purpose of the processes at this stage is to ensure that
individual meetings are well organized, allow for effective questioning of witnesses.
Ensures that the Committee holds useful deliberations. Begin each meeting with a private business session to agree
the line of questioning and proceedings Restrict the number of witnesses at the table to no more than
five End each hearing with a private business session to deliberate
on the evidence and decide recommendations and follow-up actions required
After Meetings
The key purpose of these processes is to capture the findings and recommendations of the Committee and to monitor the implementation of the recommendations.
After each meeting a Record of Deliberation/Decision is produced
In order to assess the impact of the Committee’s work it is essential to monitor the acceptance and implementation of their recommendations.
Key Documents Calendar Meeting Notice Meeting Agenda Briefing Note Minute of Proceedings Inquiry Report Follow-up Reports
Meeting Note and Meeting Agenda1. Meeting Notice Provides notice of meeting and date for submission of
business proposals or evidence
2. Meeting Agenda Lists all business to be conducted Resolutions must appear on
the Agenda For evidence sessions: It provides basic administrative details indicates Evidence in
Chief to be considered Identifies witnesses and gives timeline for each
Briefing Note and Minutes of Proceedings
3. Briefing Note For all Committee Members Summary of Evidence in Chief Identifies key issues Suggests possible lines of questioning
4. Minute of Proceedings Formal record of attendance and business conducted Resolutions must appear in full Votes recorded if held This is NOT a transcript
Inquiry and Follow-up Reports5. Inquiry report Summary of issues raised during Committee sittings Record of any findings/Recommendations
6. Follow-up reports Response of Ministry/Agency to inquiry report Not just what Committee says should happen but what actually
does happen
Final Thoughts on Success Factors Clarity on the Committee’s roles and responsibilities An effective PAC meets frequently and regularly Effective PAC develops a work plan that sets Committee’s
priority areas Set priorities and select important matters to examine Clerk prepares meeting’s agenda and summary reports to
be considered Circulate the summary report to Members ahead of the
meeting Prepare committee reports/recommendations Follow up on Committee Reports Develop capacity within the PAC Secretariat
