Nicholai Price, Clerk of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament is currently in London at a workshop on the financial oversight of aid effectiveness hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
A release from Parliament Office said that the CPA UK’s sixth Westminster Workshop, which is attended by over 70 parliamentarians, is taking place in the Houses of Parliament on 4-7 July and will feature a range of speakers including the UK’s former Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell. The four-day workshop is looking at a variety of issues including the role of parliaments in overseeing development financing, the challenges for donor co-operation, the importance of aid transparency, and ensuring that anti-corruption strategies are given a high priority.
There will also be focus on the complexity of financing mechanisms available in the post-2015 era and the need for donor collaboration. The release said that delegates are also discussing the role of advice services available to parliamentarians to help them scrutinise budgets, including Parliamentary Budget Offices and Independent Financial Institutions.
There will also be an in-depth session targeted at Members and clerks of Public Accounts Committees, including a Westminster-style PAC hearing exercise.
Organisations represented at the workshop include the European Commission, the Overseas Development Institute, the UK Department for International Development and the African Development Bank.
