Analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of the standing committee on public accounts in the House of Representatives, Malta

Abstract

The Members of the House of Representatives are elected by the citizens to represent them and one of their most important functions is that of ensuring that public funds are used effectively and efficiently, according to the needs and aspirations of those they represent. This was the reason behind the creation of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the objective of this study is that of analysing its work in the last two legislatures in order· to establish how effective and efficient this committee is in reaching its goals. The study is divided into three parts. The first part consists of an analysis of the history and the way the present British Public Accounts Committee functions whilst the second part tackles the same aspects for its Maltese equivalent. The study will show that the Maltese Public Accounts Committee was closely modelled on the British one. The third part of this study is an in-depth analysis of the minutes, transcripts and related documents of two controversial cases which the Maltese Public Accounts Committee had to scrutinize. The study concludes that despite the fact that the Maltese Public Accounts Committee is reaching its goals, this is not being done in the most efficient and effective way and recommends changes that would make the Maltese Public Accounts Committee more effective and efficient