MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands MLAs with greater responsibilities and busy overseas agenda

MLA Sharon Halford busy at FIGO and the FCO

It is proving a busy overseas season for the Falkland Islands Members of the Legislative Assembly with a full agenda of political and administrative contacts in London, reports Gilbert House, Office of the Legislative Assembly.

Members of the Public Accounts Committee (*) are currently in London to learn how such committees operate; MLA Jan Cheek is back after spending time meeting Foreign Office officials and contacting the London press, and MLA Dick Sawle is participating in a seminar on Parliamentary Practices and Procedures.

Public Accounts Committee members Stuart Wallace (chair), MLA Sharon Halford and Mike Forrest are currently in the UK until 20th March on a 5-day trip funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office through the Overseas Territories Fund.

The purpose of the trip is to learn how Public Accounts Committees operate in small jurisdictions and local authorities within the British Isles.

The visit starts with a meeting at the Audit Commission Head Office in London, covering the principles behind public audit and the operation of public accounts committees. The Falkland Islands representatives then have a packed schedule, as they spend a full day at each of Guernsey, Tameside Borough Council in Manchester, and the Isle of Man. In each location the visitors will meet with elected representatives, officials and public accounts committee members. They will share their experiences of good governance in public office, and learn how other jurisdictions handle public audit and scrutiny.

MLA Sharon Halford spent Monday working at the Falkland House, the Falkland Islands Government Office in Westminster, London and was scheduled to attend a meeting at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Meantime Jan Cheek MLA returned to the Falkland Islands after a ten day privately-funded trip to the UK, primarily on business for the South Georgia Heritage Trust. During her trip she spent a morning at the Falkland House, meeting with Falklands Representative Sukey Cameron and finalising an article for the Guardian newspaper (‘Argentina’s claim to the Falklands is neither logical nor valid’ published 10 March).

“I took the opportunity while I was in the UK to visit the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, where I met with Andrew Allan and Victor Clark, who together staff the FCO’s Falklands desk. It is usual practice for newly-elected MLAs to meet the people at the FCO responsible for Falkland Islands matters, and it was a very useful and productive meeting. By coincidence, Mr Clark is due to visit the Islands in the near future” said MLA Jan Cheek.

Finally MLA Dick Sawle is currently in London, attending the Westminster Seminar on Parliamentary Practices and Procedures, which runs from 7th to 19th March. The Seminar is organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for newly-elected politicians. Mr Sawle is due to return to the Falkland Islands on 29th March after a short private holiday.

(*) The current Falkland Islands Constitution, which came into force on 1 January 2009, makes provision for the first time for the appointment of an independent Public Accounts Committee. The Committee comprises three independent members and two elected Members of Legislative Assembly (neither of whom may act as chair of the Government’s Standing Finance Committee). The principal role of the Committee is to examine and report to Legislative Assembly and keep the Governor informed on all public accounts and audit reports. The subsidiary objects of the Committee include advising the Governor on arrangements, priorities and effectiveness of audit; and reporting to Legislative Assembly on the effectiveness of regulation where public services are contracted out to private bodies. The Public Accounts Committee Ordinance came into force on 1 February 2010.