Dallat advises Georgia on public accounting

Mr Dallat, who is one of the longest-serving members of the Public Accounts Committee at Stormont, participated in a workshop on financial oversight to help the Georgian MPs prepare for accession to the European Union.

Mr Dallat told the Times: “It was a great honour for me to travel to Tbilisi and be asked to address and participate in the workshop for members of parliament which was aimed at promoting democracy in a recently independent country which has applied for accession to the European Union.

“I brought with me some reports from the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee at Stormont which illustrates the need for governments to adopt best practices in relation to monitoring how pubic money is spent, how it is accounted for and how government departments perform in terms of delivering their goals and objectives.

“The Georgian government has adopted a zero tolerance towards corruption and this policy has received widespread acceptance among the general public who have responded positively and have made it clear they want a democracy where there is an absolute respect for how public money is spent.”

Mr Dallat added: “I was joined by representatives of the London government, the National Audit Office and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and was delighted to share my Public Accounts Committee experience with different political parties in this former USSR country which has had its share of political tragedies in the past but is looking forward with confidence to building a new economy which has a strong focus on tourism and exports.”