Public Accounts Committee had three meetings since 2012

Fri, Oct 17th 2014, 09:39 AM

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) met three times since 2012, PAC Chairman Hubert Chipman said yesterday.
Chipman said some scheduled meetings did not materialize.
He said the committee of five -- two government and three opposition members -- sometimes has problems meeting a quorum of three.
The St. Anne's MP said he plans to increase the number of meetings.
"I'm going to try to get it to twice a month or whenever the need arises," he said.
"I want the public to understand that there is a process.
"The PAC can only look into things that are tabled or come to our attention."
The PAC is responsible for auditing government accounts and ensuring that money designated for public spending is properly managed.
It can send for papers or subpoena people during the course of its investigation.
Chipman noted that the PAC can look into tabled reports, or anything that is brought to its attention.
He was responding to criticism that the PAC is inactive.
Chipman said the PAC is still awaiting a report from the auditor general into the government's Urban Renewal program.
"I want to say that the PAC is in fact working," he said.
"We are waiting on a report on Urban Renewal from the auditor general who we requested to do an audit on that.
"We have had some scheduled meetings that did not materialize because of a lack of a quorum."
Other members of the committee are East Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, Elizabeth MP Ryan Pinder and Golden Gates MP Shane Gibson. Chipman has previously said the PAC will look into travel costs incurred by Prime Minister Perry Christie and a delegation during a trip last year.
Last November, Christie and the delegation traveled to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka and also visited Rome and London.
The trip attracted criticisms from the Free National Movement, which raised questions about the cost.

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