Downing Street Says » Comptroller and Auditor General

» Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Comptroller and Auditor General

The Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) began by telling the assembled press that the Prime Minister would give a short oral statement at 12.40pm, following a ten minute rule bill after PMQ’s. The Prime Minister would recommend the appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office (NAO). The 1983 NAO Act required the Prime Minister to make this motion jointly with the Chair of the Public Account Commission (PAC). As the Government had said in November, when John Bourne announced his intention to stand down, the appointment would be interim pending the outcome of the PAC’s ongoing review into NAO Governance.

The Prime Minister would also use the opportunity to give a brief update on where we were on one of the announcements in his constitutional reform document of last July in relation to the appointments that would be subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the House of Commons.

Asked who would be taking over from John Bourne, the PMS said that on an interim basis, Timothy Burr, the current deputy Comptroller General would be taking over. Asked if there would be more detail on pre-appointment scrutiny or whether it would merely be an update, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister would be setting out the list of appointments that would be subject to pre-appointment scrutiny.

Asked if there was any more of a timescale for the interim basis or a guarantee that Mr Burr would be reappointed, the PMS said that these were all issues for the ongoing review of the PAC, both in terms of the timetable and then any subsequent appointment.

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