An official from the Falkland Islands has been learning about the role of financial oversight from Tynwald.

Ronnie Maclennan Baird is the public accounts committee clerk to the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands and has just competed a two-day study visit to Tynwald.

The trip was arranged by the clerk of Tynwald’s office and provided by Mr Maclennan Baird, who has recently been appointed to the post, with an overview of the responsibilities of a public accounts committee clerk, together with guidance on committee procedures and protocols. The visit was funded by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK as part of a three-year project between the UK and its Overseas Territories, in consortium with UK National Audit Office and UK Government International Audit Agency. The project aims to support UK Overseas Territories’ parliaments and staff engaged in managing public financial oversight.

Mr Maclennan Baird said: ’I was particularly keen to visit Tynwald to study the work and responsibilities of the public accounts committee, as the Isle of Man is a small jurisdiction facing challenges and issues I have found to be similar to those in the Falkland Islands.

’Everyone has been incredibly generous with their time and I’m also very grateful to the CPA UK for making the visit possible.

He added: ’I came here with an open mind eager to absorb all I could.

’The visit has given me a valuable insight into the role and has shown what can be possible.

’In times of plenty, profligacy can sometimes goes unchallenged. Now, however, the public are rightly much more engaged in matters of financial oversight.

’I shall now be looking at how I can best apply what I have learned to our environment to ensure that the public gets the best value for money.’ Mr Maclennan Baird was joined in the Isle of Man by Felicity Herrmann, CPA UK project assistant for the UK Overseas Territories Project. She said it had been a successful visit. Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson is also chairman of Tynwald’s public accounts committee.

He said: ’I am pleased that Ronnie found his study visit beneficial. I am also encouraged that, once again, Tynwald has been recognised as a centre of good practice in matters of public financial oversight and that the Isle of Man is playing a central role in the CPA UK’s capacity-building project with UK Overseas Territories.’