Public Accounts Committee

Established under the Liaison Committee, the Public Accounts Committee examines public spending and financial management across government departments and public bodies in the House of Commons. The Committee operates as a select committee, taking oral evidence from accounting officers, ministers, and external witnesses to scrutinise the accounts laid before Parliament and the economy and efficiency of public expenditure. Its inquiries probe both systemic issues in how government manages resources and specific departmental performance. Recent work has focused on governance failings in mega-projects, scrutinising civil-service pension administration at Capita following historical mismanagement, and examining financial resilience across the museum sector at a time of constrained public funding. The Committee has also investigated counter-fraud measures in defence procurement at the Ministry of Defence and reviewed governance and procurement decisions in the Bank of England's RTGS Renewal programme, alongside oversight of government action on employment support and regulatory reform initiatives.