Holding Power to Account: My First Year on the Public Accounts Committee
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Since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Stirling and Strathallan, one of my key responsibilities at Westminster has been serving on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Parliament’s primary watchdog on public spending.
The PAC is one of the oldest and most respected committees in Parliament. It does not ask whether policies are right or wrong; that is a matter for ministers. What it does do is ask whether money has been spent properly, whether projects deliver what was promised, and whether taxpayers are getting value from Government spending. Put simply, the PAC follows the money. Where it finds failure, it demands better.
A Year of Scrutiny
Over the last year the PAC has held dozens of public evidence sessions, questioning senior civil servants, permanent secretaries, and public body leaders across a wide range of departments and sectors. We are supported in this work by the National Audit Office, whose reports form the basis of our inquiries and help us hold Government to account.
Over the past year, we’ve published hard-hitting reports on:
- Digital transformation and AI, highlighting serious concerns around legacy IT systems, poor data quality, and the lack of digital skills in the civil service, all of which threaten the UK’s ability to harness the benefits of AI safely and efficiently.
- Defence procurement, where challenges around cost and timelines continue to raise concerns about long-term capability and value for money. In particular, we’ve examined the Defence Equipment Plan and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, highlighting questions around affordability and delivery confidence.
- HMRC customer service standards, where long delays and high telephone abandonment rates have left taxpayers frustrated. The Committee has pushed for a clear plan to improve service, particularly for those least able to navigate complex digital systems.
- Major infrastructure projects, including HS2, where the final cost, timeline and benefits remain worryingly uncertain after over a decade of planning. We are also keeping a close eye on Sellafield, one of the UK’s most complex and expensive decommissioning projects.
Each of these inquiries ends with a published PAC report, setting out our findings and recommendations. The Government must then respond to every recommendation via what is known as a Treasury Minute, indicating whether it accepts the Committee’s conclusions and what actions it will take as a result.
If you’d like to find out more about the Committee’s work, all of the reports (and Government responses) are available on the Parliament website.Â
The committee sits on a Monday afternoon and a Thursday morning, with the proceedings broadcast live on Parliament TV.
A Committee That Gets Results
Over the years, more than 90% of PAC recommendations have been accepted by Government. These recommendations help departments learn from past mistakes, improve their oversight and decision-making, and avoid repeating errors on future projects.
For example:
- Following PAC scrutiny, the Government is now developing clearer oversight mechanisms for AI use in public services and reviewing departmental compliance with algorithmic transparency standards.
- Our persistent focus on legacy IT systems has pushed departments to begin auditing and prioritising the highest-risk systems, a vital step in reducing cyber vulnerabilities.
- In the case of HMRC, our recommendations have forced the department to review its abandonment rates and assess how performance targets can better reflect the public’s experience.
These may sound technical, and often they are, but their impact is real. Better oversight, clearer accountability, and stronger public service performance benefit everyone.
My Role on the Committee
As a member of the PAC, I bring a Scottish voice to Westminster’s most powerful spending watchdog. I see it as my job to speak up for constituents and communities like ours. Whether it is UK-wide infrastructure or digital systems affecting how we access benefits or pensions, public money must deliver real results.
We’re not on the PAC to score political points. We’re there to ask the tough questions. If billions are being spent, I want to know where, how, and whether it’s making a difference. And if not, I want to know what’s being done to fix it.
I’ve played an active role in shaping inquiries on digital transformation, defence accountability, and customer service delivery. At each stage, I’ve seen bold ambitions set out by Government, but too often the shift from strategy to delivery exposes gaps in planning, coordination, and accountability.
Looking Ahead
With public finances under pressure and demand on services rising, every pound must work harder. The Committee will continue to focus on areas where the stakes, and the risks, are high: defence and security, digital infrastructure, major project delivery, and the resilience of essential public services.
I’m proud to play my part in that mission. It is about ensuring that Government is not just spending, but learning, improving, and delivering.
In Parliament, I work to speak up for Stirling and Strathallan. On the PAC, I work to speak up for taxpayers across the UK.
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I have set up a new page on the website dedicated to sharing information about PAC reports and inquiries. I will be sharing regular articles dedicated to the work of the committee, with a focus on its effects on Scotland. Click here to find out more.Â
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