IV. UNITED KINGDOM

The PAC is amongst the most influential parliamentary committees, although its focus is on ex post budget outcomes, not ex ante budget projections. It consists of 16 back-bench MPs, drawn from political parties in the same proportion as the House of Commons. By convention, an Opposition MP chairs the PAC, which was made permanent in 1862. Its mandate is “to examine the accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure” (SO No. 148). The PAC is empowered to call persons to report from time to time. In particular, AOs are obliged to answer questions concerning budget outcomes.

All members of the House of Commons are subject to the Code of Conduct for members, first published in 1996. A similar Code of Conduct was adopted by the House of Lords in 2002. The House of Lords has several select committees, including the Economic Affairs Committee whose remit encompasses the management of the economy. However, since the upper House does not consider money bills, these committees are not directly concerned with budgetary matters.

3.1.6. Establishment and roles of other constitutional bodies

The House of Lords is the highest court in the United Kingdom. A Parliamentary Ombudsperson was established by statute – the Parliamentary Commissioner of Administration Act 1967. A major role of the Ombudsperson is to investigate complaints of maladministration. Other independent bodies include the Electoral Commission.

3.2. Role and responsibilities of sub-national governments

The United Kingdom is a unitary country, though in recent years, administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been given devolved responsibility over certain areas of government activity. In particular, in 1997, it was decided to establish a Parliament in Scotland and an Assembly in Wales. To support citizens’ wishes, the United Kingdom Parliament approved the Scotland Act 1998 and the Government of Wales Act 1998. The United Kingdom Parliament also approved a directly elected Northern Ireland Assembly, which, along with the Executive Committee of Ministers for Northern Ireland, was mandated to run most of the province’s domestic affairs. However, direct rule from London was re-established in 2002.

The Scottish Parliament has full legislative powers in various areas that cover many functions of government. Excluded are areas “reserved” to the United Kingdom Parliament, such as defence, external affairs, economic and monetary policy, employment legislation, social security, and energy. The Scottish Parliament adopts an annual budget that funds all the Scottish Executive departments, including those for education, health, rural affairs,