Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Thursday, 16th April 2026: The Auditor General of the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Honorable Edwin Astwood, Leader of the Opposition and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, co-chaired a training workshop of the Public Accounts Committee on Monday, 13th April and Tuesday, 14th April 2026, at Parliament, Grand Turk.
In attendance were, The Public Accounts Committee members, The Permanent Secretaries, The Appropriation Committee, the Expenditure Committee, various members of the Statutory Bodies, and The National Audit Office Staff constituted more than 40 persons attending.
Facilitating the training in person was Mr. Henry Midgley Associate Professor at Durham University and joining in virtually were Professor Laurence Ferry of Durham University, Honorary Professor Aileen Murphie Director Value of Money National Audit Office UK and Former Auditor General of the Cayman Islands Sue Winspear.
As part of the process to reconstitute the Public Accounts Committee the training session was designed between the Leader of the Opposition, the National Audit Office, and the office of the Clerk of Parliament. The intention was to provide context and background to the newly formed Committee members. While designing the program, the Clerk suggested engaging other Committees of Parliament, accounting officers and other senior representatives from the Statutory Bodies.
The program contained a mixture of theory and practice. With global experts including the Former Auditor General of the Cayman Islands, two accountability expert Professors from the University of Durham and an expert from the UK National Audit Office. They provided insights into the operations and history of accountability and transparency, and the evolution of audit and scrutiny. Each session was linked to group discussions to consider the local context and applicability of the information provided by the experts.
Several trends and conclusions became apparent during the sessions. These included more focus on value and outcomes of programs, initiatives and capital projects. The need for clear guidance and information to be more systematic and documented thereby reducing discretion and reliance on tacit knowledge of government employees with long-term experience. This also leads to situations where uncertainty can lead to operational and transactional issues can be escalated to highest authorities. All this can lead to cumbersome processes and reduced quality of services to citizens, residents and visitors.
To remedy the situation, the first acknowledgment was more training and interactive sessions outside of formal committees is needed to ensure role and responsibilities as well as expectations are clearly understood by all parties. Particular challenges relating to the number of areas to address within limited financial and human resources was highlighted and the need for prioritization and taking a “less is more” strategy is needed.
Providing accurate information and ensuring accountability can be effective also requires that audit looks beyond financial statements and starts deeper dives on critical areas such as limitations and challenges with the procurement and contract management process. This requires looking at areas of efficiency, economy, and effectiveness, and providing opportunities for the Public Accounts Committee to interrogate issues in the public interest beyond financial statements and compliance with the rules.
Reflecting on the training workshop, the chair stated, “it was an impactful learning experience for all accounting officers and committee members, He further stated, “whenever the Turks and Caicos can be a trend setter for the region and world, it is always a welcomed and valued accomplishment. We were told by Professor Mosley that the makeup of our PAC Accountability Training Workshop was trendsetting and very unique in bringing together the respective groups to discuss, and learnt about Accountability and Public Financing”. The Chair concluded in stating, “let's remain committed to strengthening transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of the public purse. Our focus is on turning dialogue into practical reforms that deliver measurable results for the people for the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
In addition, the Auditor General stated that it was a “great event with great discussions, bringing accountability to life”.
