Public Accounts Committee

05 Dec 2024 Parliament

We will give taxpayers an aerial view of how their cash is being spent

Over the past few weeks, the reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been gearing up to scrutinise policy delivery across government. Having served as deputy chair of the PAC for seven years under Meg Hillier’s excellent chairmanship, the privilege of my election as committee chair has felt rather like a homecoming.

28 Mar 2024 Parliament

"Short-Term" Spending Leaves Next Government Facing "Critical" Challenges

A new report from the influential Public Accounts Committee of cross-party MPs has criticised the government for "short-termism" in policy making – highlighting a number areas in public spending the next government will have to grapple with.

05 Mar 2024 Economy

MPs' Committee Doubts Government Plan To Manage "Phenomenal" National Debt

A new report by the influential Public Accounts Committee has questioned whether ministers have clear measures in place to assess the value for money of the “phenomenal” £2.6 trillion of Government borrowing.

21 Feb 2024 Technology

New Online Safety Laws Could Take "Years" To Show True Benefits

The government, Labour, and an influential committee of MPs have warned that it could take years for the public to feel the benefit of the Online Safety Act, and said it will be “critical” for the new regulations to continue to be reviewed.

05 Sep 2023 Economy

Public Spending Watchdog To Investigate Delays To Multimillion-Pound Pensions Project

Exclusive: The National Audit Office has agreed to investigate delays into the government’s long-awaited Pensions Dashboard project, which is now expected to be rolled out seven years late after costing the taxpayer millions of pounds.

17 Aug 2023 Economy

Labour MP Demands Investigation Into Multimillion-Pound Pensions Project Running 7 Years Late

A Labour MP has asked the National Audit Office to investigate the delays to the government’s long-awaited Pensions Dashboard project, which has cost the taxpayer millions of pounds.

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30 Jun 2023 Home affairs

Culture shift needed to deliver court reform programme – Bar Council

The Public Accounts Committee has published its report into the Court Reform Programme expressing serious concerns that HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has underestimated the scale and complexity of reforms leading to stress amongst staff.

08 Jan 2023 Culture

Government Failed To Achieve Legacy Aims For 2012 London Olympics

The government has failed to meet its legacy aims on sports participation after the 2012 London Olympic Games, according to a report by an influential select committee.

20 Jul 2022 Health

Failure To Resolve PPE Supplier Disputes May Cost Taxpayers £2.7bn, Warn MPs

A cross-party committee of MPs has warned a failure to resolve disputes with suppliers of poor-quality PPE could cost the taxpayer £2.7bn.

11 Jul 2022 Economy

Clare Moriarty: Action is needed now to avoid a winter of discontent for energy customers

More than half a year since the energy market went into freefall, the bill for supplier failures is still mounting.

30 May 2022 Parliament

Governments must do better at learning lessons from past failures

Government is missing an opportunity to improve the way it plans and implements policy, and this stems from the fact that it could be doing more to evaluate its work.

14 Mar 2022 Parliament

Health and Safety Executive Investigating Asbestos Release in Parliament

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is now investigating the asbestos release in Parliament which it has emerged could have affected as many as 117 members of staff.

15 Dec 2021 Economy

Pensioners have been short-changed by more than £1bn. DWP must provide urgent redress to those affected

Thousands of pensioners, mainly women whose pension is affected by or calculated on the basis of their husbands’ pensions, have been losing out on state pension benefits, leaving some owed considerable sums of money.

22 Oct 2021 Economy

As we look back on the PAC’s remarkable history, the need for transparency and accountability has never been greater

This year marks the 160th anniversary since William Gladstone established the Public Accounts Committee, more than a century before the present system of committees was established in 1979. The remit of the committee in 1861 was to examine the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of government spending of taxpayers’ money. While its role has not changed, it is uncertain whether Gladstone could have imagined the scale of the role today.

01 Oct 2021 Coronavirus

Lessons of the Covid procurement process

At the outset of the Covid pandemic, government was granted extraordinary powers by parliament and made extensive use of emergency procurement regulations to award contracts for goods and services without tender. But the need to act fast did not give government licence to act fast and loose.

27 Jul 2021 Home affairs

Windrush victims are being failed again by flawed compensation scheme

Not only was the Windrush compensation scheme complex and difficult for claimants but the Home Office did not provide the necessary resources to manage it.

16 Jun 2021 Health

The care sector urgently needs reform after suffering long term under-funding and neglect

Despite years of promises, the Department of Health and Social Care still doesn’t have a plan in place to reform the adult social care sector.

28 May 2021 Economy

Shining a light on public spending is more important than ever

The long recovery from Covid-19 will require more strategic decisions, and it remains to be seen if Whitehall is up to the challenge.

22 Apr 2021 Political parties

David Cameron Texted Treasury’s Most Senior Civil Servant To Lobby For Greensill

The most senior civil servant in the Treasury has admitted that David Cameron personally lobbied him over Greensill Capital.

15 Apr 2021 Political parties

Here Are All the Inquiries David Cameron Will Have To Answer To Over Greensill Lobbying Scandal

David Cameron has indicated he will be happy to face MPs to explain his actions surrounding Greensill Capital, but the former Prime Minister now faces multiple inquiries as the scandal widens.

10 Mar 2021 Coronavirus

No Evidence “Unimaginable” £37bn Cost Of NHS Test & Trace Has Had Effect On Tackling Pandemic, Say MPs

An influential Parliamentary committee has said there is no evidence the “unimaginable” cost of NHS Test & Trace has made any progress in dealing with the pandemic.

05 Feb 2021 Coronavirus

Government Was “Surprisingly Unconcerned” About Companies Profiting From Free School Meal Vouchers, MPs say

The powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has accused the government of failing to ensure companies providing free school meals offered value for taxpayer money.

12 Jan 2021 Communities

Without a clear strategy, government will exclude rural areas from gigabit broadband rollout

Ministers must learn the lessons of previous rollouts and outline a strategy to ensure gigabit broadband is available to everyone, especially those in rural, isolated communities.

15 Dec 2020 Communities

We need a clear roadmap to end the cycle of failed housing policies

The total failure of the Starter Homes scheme and weaknesses in the plans for 'First Homes' shows we need far better clarity and transparency in planning to deliver much needed affordable housing.