19 December 2019
As part of their commitment to work together to improve the oversight of public finances and governance, delegates from the UK and the Overseas Territories (OTs) met last week at the Oversight of Public Finances and Governance – London Forum 2019.
The Forum,which ran from 9-11 December, was attended by Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees (PAC), parliamentary clerks, and Heads of Internal and External Audit from Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands, the UK, and Virgin Islands (UK).
The St Helena delegation comprised PAC Chairman, Cyril Gunnell, PAC Clerk, Anita Legg, Chief Auditor, Phil Sharman, and Head of Internal Audit and Risk, Anesu Happyman Makamure.
This was the third forum funded under the CSSF programme to explore public financial oversight and good governance under the banner of the UK Overseas Territories Project. It was a final opportunity to explore progress in OTs to date, address some of the ongoing challenges faced by PACs, Internal and External Audit agencies and identify ways in which the UK and OTs can continue to work together beyond the end of the project to ensure long-lasting impact. The Forum was also an opportunity for the newly established Internal and External Audit Leadership Groups to meet. This built on established relationships and encouraged continuing development.
During the Forum, Chairman of the UK Overseas Territories Project, Rt Hon. Lord Foulkes, stated:
“I have been delighted to see the positive outcomes from the UK Overseas Territories Project. The OTs have demonstrated a strong commitment to working together to strengthen their public financial oversight and scrutiny functions. With the latest phase of the Project scheduled to come to an end in 2020, the London Forum is an opportunity to cement the learning and good practice that has been developed to ensure that effective public financial oversight continues beyond the life of the Project.”
St Helena PAC Chairman, Cyril Gunnell, commented:
“I believe that all delegates found the London Forum 2019 an insightful and useful event and we look forward to continuing to partner the CPA UK, in consortium with the UK National Audit Office (NAO) and the UK Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA).”
Notes to Editors
Launched in 2017, the UK Overseas Territories Project partnered with OTs to identify areas where support would be welcome, and activities were tailored to address those areas. Activities included clerk attachments from the UK devolved legislatures and Crown Dependencies to PACs in the OTs; multilateral training for External Auditors; secondments to the NAO and GIAA; and workshops for parliamentarians and officials in the OTs, Westminster, Scotland and Wales.
The current phase of the Project is due to come to an end in 2020 and is an initiative delivered in partnership by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK), UK NAO and the GIAA along with participating OTs.
#StHelena #PAC #PublicFinances #Governance #LondonForum2019
SHG
19 December 2019