FIRST MEETING OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

The Northern Ireland Assembly Public Accounts Committee met for the first time today in Parliament Buildings. Mr John Dowdall, Comptroller and Auditor General and Mr David Thomson, Treasury Officer of Accounts, provided information on their work to the Committee.
Mr John O’Dowd MLA, the Committee Chairperson said: “The Public Accounts Committee plays a key role in scrutinising the expenditure of Departments and other public bodies to ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent properly and wisely.”
The Committee today agreed a forward work programme which will include scrutiny on ‘The Upgrade of the Belfast to Bangor Railway Line’ on 31 May, ‘Springvale Educational Village Project’ on 14 June and ‘Outpatients: Missed Appointments and Cancelled Clinics’ on 28 June 2007.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:

Standing Orders under Section 60(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 have provided for the establishment of the Public Accounts Committee (the Committee). The main statutory function of the Committee is to consider accounts, and the reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General for Northern Ireland (C&AG) laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The C&AG is head of the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) and is empowered to investigate any area of expenditure and has a statutory right of access to all files and papers in Departments and public bodies.

The Committee Membership is as follows:

Chairperson Mr John O’Dowd (Sinn Fein)
Deputy Chairperson Roy Beggs (Ulster Unionist Party)

Alliance Party Mr Trevor Lunn
Democratic Unionist Party Mr Jonathan Craig, Mr Simon Hamilton, Mr David Hilditch
Progressive Unionist Party Ms Dawn Purvis
Sinn Féin Mr Willie Clarke, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin
Social Democratic and Labour Party Mr John Dallat, Mr Patsy McGlone

Information about today’s meeting can be obtained from the Information Officer –

Mr Paddy Price
Information Office
Room B2
Parliament Buildings
Belfast
028 90 521137