Public Finance Control Committee and Westminster Foundation for Democracy Organize Colloquium on “Embedding Accountability and Transparency in Public Finance”

The Public Finance Control Committee of the House of Representatives organized, in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, a colloquium on “the Public Finance Control Committee: a Mechanism of the House of Representatives to Implement the Principles of Accountability and Transparency.” The colloquium featured the participation of the Vice-Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Rabat, Ms. Tracey Tate, and several Moroccan and foreign experts and Academics, as well as representatives of civil society and students of a Public Finance master’s program.

At the start of the colloquium, the Chairperson of the Public Finance Control Committee, Rep. Latifa Lablih, gave a brief overview of the work of the Committee since its creation in 2014 and the general context of its formation following the provisions outlined in the 2011 Constitution relating to transparency, responsibility, and accountability.

Rep. Lablih added that "the Committee members work to curb any action that would deviate the Committee from achieving its major goal." She also affirmed that the "Committee must not be a tool to settle political scores, either with public institutions or government departments, but work with a patriotic spirit. The Committee has been given an international dimension, and several African countries request the sharing of the experience of the Moroccan House of Representatives in post-application control and supervision of public finance."

The presentation of Rep. Lablih also featured a detailed account of the role of the House of Representatives in public finance control through controlling the spending process before and after its implementation. Therefore, the Committee can work according to the principle of value for money, which entails the control of public spending and its impact on citizens concerning the intended goals.

For her part, the Director of the WFD Bureau in Rabat, Ms. Fatiha Ait Oulaid, highlighted that the colloquium is part of implementing the partnership linking the House of Representatives and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and shedding light on the role of the House in implementing the principles of transparency and good governance under the 2011 Constitution, in addition to the probity and transparency program, and the role of the Parliament and civil society in consolidating transparency, financed by the European Union.

The colloquium also featured several debate sessions that covered the role of the Public Finance committees in consolidating transparency and accountability and the relationship between the Courts of Accounts and Parliaments. In this respect, the Labor Party MP and member of the Public Accounts Committee at the House of Commons, Ms. Olivia Blake, tackled the role of the Public Accounts Committee in holding the government accountable for public finance efficiency. In this respect, she noted, "According to the National Audit Office's work, the Public Accounts Committee members must guarantee the achievement of the principle of value for money in public strategies, services, and government programs. They should also evaluate the level to which these meet the needs of British citizens and find the best ways to ameliorate their efficiency and governance."

The Parliamentary Relations Manager at the National Audit Office, Ms. Linda Mills, gave a presentation on the relation between the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee as the Office assists the Parliament in holding the government accountable through extensive financial auditing and control operations of public sector institutions, administrations, and bodies, as well as account auditing based on financial efficiency.

The participants concluded the colloquium with recommendations that aim to ameliorate the return and link public spending with results, responsibility with accountability, and adopt evaluation.

It should be noted that since its creation, the Public Finance Control Committee has examined several reports of the Court of Accounts. The Committee also launched several annual control programs that yielded ad-hoc reports on several themes, including the Moroccan Pension Fund (CMR), the Compensation Fund, and local and foreign aid to civil society associations, public enterprises, and institutions.