Guernsey’s Public Accounts Committee, the taxpayers’ spending watchdog, is to be commended for commissioning a detailed report by respected consultants Sector Treasury Services Ltd on the cost of secondary healthcare in the island.

A REPORT produced by the Public Accounts Committee recommending ground rules for good governance is too vague and needs to be far more definitive, according to the Scrutiny Committee.

In this column yesterday, we drew attention to the shortcomings of the Legislation Select Committee as an element of scrutiny. Today in the Guernsey Press the chairman of that committee makes the same point: ‘We’re not really a parliamentary committee, we are a proofreading committee…’.

BY A majority of three to one yesterday, States members instructed one of its watchdog committees to do what it was told – not tinker with the island’s machinery of government – when reporting back on ways of resolving the good governance issues identified by the Wales Audit Office.

MEMBERS of the Wales Audit Office have started their review of corporate governance in Guernsey and are interviewing various individuals and accessing a wealth of information before producing a report in a few months’ time.

A call to merge the Scrutiny and Public Accounts committees has been passionately opposed by some of the former’s members. Nick Mann delves into the discussion.

SOCIAL SECURITY’S overspend of £3m. is an unfolding  horror story, with key chapters of lack of accountability and communication, according to Deputy Jean Pritchard.

FORMER Social Security Authority president Owen Le Tissier is rejecting claims that the introduction of a new computer system he oversaw was an overspend.

PROBLEMS within the Public Accounts Committee are no reason to merge it with Scrutiny.