Brexit fatigue? Public Accounts Committee turns to issues with ‘immediate impact on public’
An influential parliamentary committee has decided to turn away from Brexit over the coming weeks to focus its spotlight on other issues which have “an immediate impact on the public”.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises the value-for-money of public spending, has announced it will launch inquiries on matters including fracking, the HS2 rail project and Britain’s defence spending.
MPs will haul senior government officials in for questioning about the controversial HS2 project after it emerged in early September that the project could be delayed by up to seven years.
Meanwhile, owners of the UK’s only active fracking site were forced to apologise several weeks ago after an earthquake measuring 2.9 on the Richter scale – stronger than those that forced the firm to suspend tests in 2011 – damaged residents’ properties in Lancashire.
Meanwhile, the committee will take another look at the Ministry of Defence’s annual 10 year equipment spending plan, which has come in for heavy criticism in recent years.
PAC chair Meg Hillier said: “Brexit is quite rightly an area we have regularly focused much upon but there remain many other serious issues where it is important that government is being properly scrutinised.
“Many of our forthcoming inquiries have an immediate impact on the public”.
“Irrespective of the outcome of Brexit, the PAC will continue to pursue the interests of the taxpayer.