Northern Irish want change to resource accounting bill

25 Jan 01
Northern Ireland's finance and personnel committee is this week expected to propose an amendment to the province's bill for the introduction of resource accounting, to enable auditors to follow the trail of public cash, whoever has responsibility for spe.

26 January 2001

Northern Ireland's finance and personnel committee is this week expected to propose an amendment to the province's bill for the introduction of resource accounting, to enable auditors to follow the trail of public cash, whoever has responsibility for spending it.

It remains unclear whether Finance Minister Mark Durkan and the Northern Ireland Executive will accept the suggested changes, or bring forward an alternative amendment next month that would provide auditors with access to the books only of public authorities.

The debate mirrors discussions that have taken place elsewhere in the UK. In Westminster, the Sharman committee is considering the same question, following strong lobbying from the National Audit Office and the Commons Public Accounts Committee for the right to follow public money across the public and private sectors. Ministers have resisted this on the grounds that it could hinder public-private partnerships.

Implementation of resource accounting was delayed by a year in Northern Ireland by the onset of devolution, and the dry run for parallel resource and appropriation accounts is taking place in the current financial year.

PFjan2001

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