PAC EffectivenessLOOKING INTO HOW PAC PROCEEDINGS MAY BE EFFECTIVELY HANDLED

2 DECEMBER 2014 – INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, OR TAMBO

Content• Characteristics of an effective PAC

• Effective management of the PAC

• Challenges to PAC effectiveness

• Remedies to challenges and recommendations

• Principles for effectiveness

• Case Studies• Uganda

• The Ideal PAC

Characteristics of an Effective PAC• Manageable group• Analysis shows average of 20 persons

• Is this appropriate?

• Opposition clout – assumes multi-party system

• Non-partisan agenda - consensus

• Capacity – technical, objectives, equipment

• Sub-committees – defined sub-committee

• High level of PAC-Public interface

• High level of PAC-SAI interface

• Follow up on recommendations

• Report to Parliament for stimulated debate

Challenges to PAC Effectiveness• Impact of presidential systems of government• Appointment of the AG

• Partisan agenda in the PAC where there is strong allegiance to the President

• Absence of a competitive multi-party political framework

• Absence of citizen feedback models and pursuant citizen pressure

• Lack of staff, facilities and financial resources• Inadequate skills

• Separate facilities for enquiries

• Equipment – computers and internet access

• Financial resources to allow more frequent meetings

• International accountability demands overriding local demands

• Backlog in audit reports

Remedies to Challenges & Recommendations/1• Separate budget for PAC

• Separate budget for AG

• Dedicated liaison resource in Parliament for PAC-AG interface

• Dedicated resources to assist in the analysis and follow up of reports• Full time clerk to the committee

• One or two expert advisors

• Increased independence and empowerment of the AG office (make it a constitutional office)

• Subcommittees (to speed up the analysis and review of major reports within 6 months)

Remedies to Challenges & Recommendations/2• Additional resources to hire consultants

• Additional resources to strengthen liaison with the AG

• Regional information sharing

• Formation of audit tribunals in the judicial system to pursue audit investigation findings

• Parliamentary involvement in the appointment of the AG

• Amend Standing Orders to make it possible for the PAC to initiate own enquiries without waiting for the AG report

Principles for PAC Effectiveness• Accountability for continuous and sustained improvement• Increased focus on value for money

• Not focused on “witch hunting” and “score-settling”

• Formal tracking of recommendations

• “Tracking dashboard”

• Collaboration with other Portfolio Committees

• Systematic analysis of reports

• Comparability of findings and remedial action

• “Analysis Toolkit for PPCs” © - Clive Munemo 2014

Comparison of PAC EffectivenessResults Africa Australasia Canada Caribbean South Asia United

Kingdom

Recommendations accepted

36 75 50 50 90 100

Recommendations implemented

18 75 50 50 70 100

Legislation modified

20 12 0 25 20 33

Information improved

36 57 24 25 80 100

Legal action Taken 9 0 25 25 40 0

Disciplinary action taken

30 0 25 25 56 0

(N) (11) (9) (4) (7) (10) (3)

Source. Stapenhurst et al., (2005), “Scrutinizing Public Expenditures: Assessing the Performance of Public Accounts Committees in Comparative Perspective”, Policy Research Working Paper No 3613, The World Bank, Washington DC

Discussion – Comparison of PAC Effectiveness• Ultimately, we feel that the process of harmonizing

processes across PACs in the region is of paramount importance while getting the regional PACs working together. Because these processes are currently not harmonized, it becomes difficult for the committees to compare practices and adopt best practice. (Unpublished – Clive and Associates)

Presenter Details

Clive M. Munemo CA(Z), RPA(Z)

Managing Consultant

Clive and Associates (Zimbabwe)

+263 773 022 673

clive@cliveandassociates.com

clive.munemo1