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BRIAN MANNING, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, said on Tuesday his ministry had no oversight over the operations of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) nor the Office of the Auditor General.
He was in the Senate replying to three oral questions posed by Opposition Senator Wade Mark on the THA's finances.
Mark queried a URP-Contingencies account cited in an Auditor General's report on the 2015 THA financial statements, alleged breaches of financial regulations and ministry directives cited in the 2015 THA financial statements, and the THA's lease from Milshirv Properties Ltd, cited in the THA's 2016 financial statements.
To each question in succession, Manning gave a similar response, saying a minister can only be questioned on matters under his/her administrative responsibility.
He said it should be clear to the experienced Mark that the THA was not under the administrative responsibility of the Minister of Finance.
"Further, Mr President, the information being sought is available from the Auditor General through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament."
He noted the PAC was chaired by an opposition member.
"The Ministry of Finance has no constitutional role to play in the auditing of the THA’s financial statements and should not get involved in the business of constitutionally independent entities. The senator is advised to pursue the information requested through the Public Accounts Committee."
Manning said under the Constitution the Auditor General is appointed by the President after consulting the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader.
He said the Auditor General must examine the accounts of public bodies including the THA.
Manning said the Constitution said the PAC must be chaired by an opposition member and must report to Parliament on appropriation accounts plus the Auditor General's reports on such.
Under the House of Representatives Standing Orders, the PAC must examine Auditor General's reports on any such accounts and request from her the information sought by Mark.
"Senator Mark is, therefore, contrary to the Standing Orders, seeking to embroil the Ministry of Finance in matters which are the purview of the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee.
"Further, it should be obvious that is only the Auditor General that will be privy to the information being sought, since the Ministry of Finance was not, and could not by law be, involved in the audit."
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