PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION
Minutes of meeting held on Tuesday 9 July
2002
Members of the Commission present:
Mr Alan Williams, in the Chair
| Mr Roy Beggs | Mr William O'Brien
|
| Mr Edward Leigh | Mr George Osborne
|
| Mr Austin Mitchell | Mr Andrew Tyrie
|
| Mr John McFall | |
1. ADOPTION OF
MINUTES AND
DRAFT AGENDA
The Commission approved the Minutes of the meeting on 12
March 2002.
The agenda was adopted.
2. CONSIDERATION OF
PROPOSAL TO
MEET IN
PUBLIC WHEN
TAKING EVIDENCE
FROM THE
NAO
The Commission agreed that its usual practice in future when
taking evidence from the NAO (or other witnesses) would be to
sit in public.
The Chairman reminded the Commission that the public proceedings
of the Commission were covered by qualified rather than absolute
privilege.
The Chairman also informed the Commission that, as a matter
of normal practice, a verbatim transcript of the evidence from
the NAO would be produced.
The Commission agreed that Professor David Heald of Aberdeen
University should act as an informal adviser to the Commission,
attending meetings as necessary.
3. EVIDENCE FROM
NAO ON ITS
CORPORATE PLAN
FOR 2003-04 TO
2005-06
The Commission considered its line of questioning to the
NAO.
[The public were admitted]
Sir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General; Mr Martin
Sinclair, Assistant Auditor General; and Mr Michael Whitehouse,
Assistant Auditor General, National Audit Office, were examined.[7]
The National Audit Office's Corporate Plan for 2003-04 to
2005 -06 was approved.
[The Commission resumed its private sitting]
4. CONSIDERATION OF
DRAFT REPORT
ON THE
COMMISSION'S
RESPONSE TO
THE SHARMAN
REPORT
The Commission approved a draft report setting out its response
to the Sharman Report on the audit of public expenditure.
The Commission agreed that its decision to approve the NAO's
Corporate Plan should be publicised through an arranged Parliamentary
Question.
The Commission further agreed to append a number of documents
to the report, including a transcript of the evidence from the
NAO and two examples of external evaluation reports by the London
School of Economics on the NAO's VFM studies.
5. DATE OF
NEXT MEETING
Provisionally scheduled for Spring 2003 to consider the NAO's
Estimate for 2003-04.
The meeting was adjourned.
7
See pp. 15-25. Back
| 
