Preparing for Public Accounts Committee

The prospect of a forthcoming appearance before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) can be an immensely stressful situation for a Public Sector official to encounter, and even the most experienced senior officials may only face the Committee three or four times a year. The career reputation of the official and their department can be significantly affected by the outcome of the PAC hearing.

This highly bespoke course on Preparing for Public Accounts Committee will help to take away much of the stress by providing a clear and thorough explanation of the way the PAC works, its expectations of witnesses, the key issues that are likely to be focused on and how to prepare for a hearing.

This training course is delivered on a one-to-one basis to thoroughly prepare officials due to face the PAC, to ensure that the trainer can effectively deal with any particular concerns that participants may have. There will also be the opportunity to practise answering questions specific to a report which is to be the subject of a PAC hearing.

Accountability & Governance series. At the Civil Service College, we tailor our courses to each attendee’s role and organisations, ensuring that each delegate gets the most out of the training. Our courses and trainers are continuously updated and evaluated to ensure that we are always delivering the best service possible. 

Key Training Features

Who Can Attend

Learning Outcomes

Key Training Features:

• Explanation of the remit of the PAC, how the Committee works and its approach to examining witnesses.
• Examine topics it has particularly focused on in recent times
• Understand various pitfalls witnesses encounter which reduce their effectiveness in front of the Committee
• Making PAC preparation and stress reduction
• How to maximise performance in front of the Committee
• An opportunity for participants to practise answering questions that the PAC is likely to ask on a specific report.

Who Can Attend:

Public Officials who have little or no experience of the Public Accounts Committee, those who may have previously attended PAC but wish to improve their performance in front of the Committee at future hearings and those who are briefing their permanent secretaries prior to a PAC hearing.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will gain greater confidence in dealing with the PAC through a deeper understanding of how the Committee questions witnesses, as well as the opportunity to practise answering questions in a relaxed setting ahead of a hearing.

View course outline