Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill says he intends to propose changes to the way the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) uses its time as it seeks to clear a backlog of Auditor General Reports dating back several years.
The PAC is responsible for examining the Auditor General reports and scrutinising the government’s use and management of public funds, including questioning officials from ministries, departments and regional administrations about matters raised in the audits.
Edghill said the proposal would focus on making more effective use of the time and personnel involved in the committee’s proceedings, rather than simply requiring the PAC to meet more frequently.
He was responding to questions about the backlog of outstanding reports and a proposal he intends to take to the PAC.
“The utilization of time and personnel more effectively, and there’s something that we’ve been discussing,” Edghill told reporters.
He explained that the current approach can require Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and other officials to travel to Georgetown repeatedly to appear before the committee to address reports from different years.
Edghill said, “We don’t want to have REO come in March with a full team from Region One to deal with 2020 or 2021, then he has to come back again in August to deal with this and then come back again.
He said the repeated travel is costly and does not represent the best use of officials’ time.
“It’s costly, and it’s not the best utilization of time,” he said.
Edghill, however, declined to disclose the details of the proposal before it is formally presented to the PAC.
“We intend to put forward a proposal of how we can get up to date. I don’t want to do that here,” he said.
Asked whether the proposal would involve the PAC meeting every day, Edghill rejected that suggestion.
“No, no, no, no, not at all,” he said.
He pointed out that frequent PAC meetings would also place demands on senior public officials, including the Financial Secretary and Accountant General, who are required to attend the committee’s proceedings.
“If the PAC meets every day, what happens? When the PAC is meeting, the finance secretary, the accountant general have to be present,” Edghill said.
He noted that these officials have other responsibilities and that their absence from their regular duties could affect the operations of government.
Edghill said the focus should instead be on making better use of the time available when the PAC meets.
“If the PAC meets, we start at 9 o’clock, we can work to 5 or to 6 p.m., and in a scheduled manner, how we deal with time allocations,” he said.
He said committee members are prepared to work longer hours when the PAC sits.
“So, the members on our team are prepared to work whenever we sit,” Edghill said.
“It’s not how often we meet, it’s what we do when we meet.”
He said a similar approach has been discussed in relation to the Economic Services Committee, another parliamentary committee that examines matters concerning Guyana’s economic and development affairs
