By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION leader Michael Pintard suggested that the work of the Public Accounts Committee would continue despite the prorogation of Parliament, drawing a rebuke from Attorney General Ryan Pinder.

“He knows better and if he doesn’t that’s concerning,” Mr Pinder said yesterday, noting the prorogation of Parliament means there is no current session or active committee.

During a Free National Movement press conference yesterday, Mr Pintard said members of the PAC will finish their investigation into the Consumer Protection Commission, examining how the agency’s rental space was selected.

He said members would then pivot to the ministries of Transport and Labour to investigate matters involving them.

 Asked if the Speaker of the House gave the committee special permission to operate during the prorogation period, he said: “Three members of the PAC are members of the Opposition. We certainly intend to collate the information we’re getting to follow significant leads in terms of raising questions on who, what is the sequence of ministries that we’ll be looking at, who the person is that we need to line up. So yeah, we fully expect that our work is going to continue.”

 He also suggested the group would continue exercising powers associated with an active parliamentary committee, such as conducting interviews and receiving documents.

 “We were given assurances by the permanent secretary who last met with us as well as members of the housing board or the board that is responsible for determining for public service which buildings they rent,” he said. “So we are waiting for all of those documents to be turned over. So we will vigorously follow up with the permanent secretary, and all of those other forces will appear to make sure we get in hand the documents.”

 Maurice Tynes, the longtime former Parliamentary clerk, said the PAC is dissolved once Parliament is prorogued.

 “They are sessional committees which means they would come to an end at the end of a session and would have to be reappointed by the Speaker,” he said.

 “They would have to request from Parliament if they want to meet during the period of prorogation.”