Members of the Legislative Assembly of St Helena Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have attended a study visit to Tynwald as part of a capacity-building programme delivered by the UK Overseas Territories (UKOT) Project.

Funded by the CPA (Commonwealth Parliamentary Association) UK in consortium with the UK National Audit Office and UK Government International Audit Agency, the visit comes after the CPA UK and Overseas Territories parliamentary forum held in Miami in March 2017 identified training for PAC members as a high priority.

The visit is part of a three-year public financial management capacity-building programme, which saw the PAC clerk to the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands visit the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office in October.

Ahead of the start of the programme, the leader of the six-strong delegation and chairman of the St Helena PAC Cyril Gunnell said: ‘We’re enormously grateful to have this opportunity to learn from our opposite numbers in Tynwald then see how we can best apply that training to our newly appointed PAC committee and raise its profile.

‘Nowadays the public are more politically aware and, quite rightly, expect more of their politicians, especially at a time when budgets are under pressure. Our PAC was in arrears, but now is fully up to date and keen to develop processes to enhance its effectiveness.

‘For parliament to be more accountable, robust financial oversight is essential, so we must equip our PAC committee members with the skills to deliver that scrutiny. Tynwald has that body of knowledge on which we are eager to draw and we are determined to derive maximum benefit from this study visit.’

Photo - Back row: St Helena PAC members Gavin Ellick MLC, Brian Isaac MLC and Clint Beard MLC. Front row: St Helena PAC clerk Anita Legg,  PAC vice-chairman Mark Yon, deputy clerk of Tynwald Jonathan King, PAC chairman Cyril Gunnell and UK Overseas Territories Project assistant Felicity Herrmann. Photo Paul Dougherty, Tynwald Seneschal.