Public Accounts Committee
Chaired by: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP for North Cotswolds
Current inquiries: 59 open inquiries, including: civil service pensions; job centres; smarter delivery of public services; improving police productivity
What makes a good select committee chair?
The PAC operates at a relentless pace. We typically hold two evidence sessions and publish two reports a week, often on unrelated topics. The ability to digest large volumes of information in a short time is key, though this is only half the battle. You must know how to use it when you have witnesses in front of you if you are to get to the crux of the issue at hand.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in the last year?
We are often presented with harrowing evidence of the impact that government failings have on people’s lives. Clinical negligence is government’s second-largest financial liability, but it is not a typical monetary issue. Our work on this encompasses the justice system, healthcare delivery and the public purse. However, the key challenge is working to secure accountability for victims.
We also felt this keenly during our work on the ECO4 scheme – an utter disaster in which 98% of external and 29% of internal wall insulation installed under a publicly funded scheme was faulty. Households were left in limbo, awaiting reassurance from government that they would not be left to pay for remediation to address the health and safety risks many face.
How easy have you found it to call witnesses, and how informative have they been?
The PAC is unique in that it doesn’t deal with policy but with the public purse. Because of this, we primarily deal with the most senior civil servants, rather than ministers or experts. We’ve had some excellent witnesses. Some, however, are less forthcoming than others.
How responsive has the government been to reports?
The government has undertaken to respond to each of our reports, so in that sense they’ve been very responsive. During my tenure as chair, we have published 68 reports and our recommendations have had an acceptance rate of 95%.
A key element of my role is keeping an eye on recommendations accepted by government and its progress implementing them. If we aren’t happy with the pace, we can follow up in writing or recall departments for further sessions. We can also bid for debates on the floor of the house if we feel an issue requires wider parliamentary scrutiny.
What are your priorities for the next 12 months?
A theme across our work will be the role of local trusts in the health service in the wake of NHSE’s abolition and our work on clinical negligence. Defence is also likely to feature heavily as spending looks set to increase. We await the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan with interest.
Laggards such as HS2 and Restoration and Renewal will doubtless feature as we continue to scrutinise their value for money. Many of our inquiries have looked at the adoption and use of digital technologies, including AI and cybersecurity. I would expect this to continue as departments work to bring themselves fully into the digital age.