MP elected to key watchdog committee

WARRINGTON South MP David Mowat has been elected onto the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the current Parliamentary session.
The PAC can probe into any and all aspects of government spending and oversees the work of the National Audit Office. As such, it is considered to be one of the most powerful select committees in Parliament.
It is also one of the oldest, having existed more or less unchanged since 1861.
During the previous Parliament, the PAC was at the forefront of criticism for HM Revenue and Customs’ efforts to collect tax from multi-national corporations operating in the UK and it also grilled BBC executives over the pay-offs it made to senior staff.
Mr Mowat (pictured), a former chartered accountant, was elected to the committee in a ballot of fellow MPs.
He said: “I am delighted to have been elected to join one of Parliament’s most famous committees and I look forward to making a contribution to the committee’s work over the coming year.
“When the public finances are stretched, my constituents in Warrington are entitled to know that their taxes are being spent wisely and I will be making sure that the government is properly held to account.”