Public Accounts Committee
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The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) (strictly, the Committee of Public Accounts) is a parliamentary committee responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest.
The structure and function of the PAC date back to the reforms initiated by William Gladstone, when he was British Chancellor of the Exchequer in the mid-nineteenth century. The first PAC was established in 1861 by a resolution of the British House of Commons, and the form has since been replicated in virtually all Commonwealth of Nations and many non-Commonwealth countries. PACs are seen as a crucial mechanism for ensuring transparency in government financial operations.
References
- David McGee, The Overseers – Public Accounts Committees and Public Spending, Pluto Press, London 2002.
- Stapenhurst, Rick; Sahgal, Vinod; Woodley, William; Pelizzo, Riccardo; World Bank, 1 May 2005, Policy Research Working Paper WPS3613, [Scrutinizing public expenditures: assessing the performance of public accounts committees]
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