On Wednesday, 9 July 2025, the Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee (FROC), held the biannual consultation with the Honourable Leo Cato, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee of Privileges.
The Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee was represented by members:
- Accountant — Hyacinth Jerimiah
- Attorney and Public Administration — Annette Henry
- Attorney — Lisa Taylor
- Chairwoman — Laurel Bain
In his remarks, the Honourable Leo Cato welcomed the dialogue with the FROC and commended the FROC for working diligently as a team to fulfil the mandate of the Fiscal Resilience Act. The Chairwoman indicated that an objective is to make the FROC the model Parliamentary Financial Oversight Committee through the timely publication of the legislated reports, adherence to the principles of accountability and transparency, and strengthening public awareness and knowledge of the Fiscal Resilience Act.
The Chairwoman then outlined the activities undertaken by the FROC during the first half of 2025. Specifically, in fulfilment of its Mandate under the Fiscal Resilience Act, the FROC submitted the 2024 Annual Report for the consideration of Parliament. Thereafter, as part of its monitoring function, the FROC shared with the public the “Statement of Compliance” of the Government with the Fiscal Resilience Act as of 31 May 2025.
The commitment of the FROC to the principles of accountability and transparency was highlighted by reference to the published FROC Charter and Guidelines, which guided the operations of the FROC from 1 January 2025. The exchanges on the Awareness and Public Participation (APP) Programme focused on presenting information to the public through the weekly postings on the Facebook and LinkedIn pages of the FROC and the FROC website, which became operational from 7 March 2025. Consequently, comprehensive information is available on the Fiscal Resilience Act and the Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee, which would facilitate the participation of students in the FROC essay competition. The Honourable Leo Cato provided advice on targeted avenues for the Awareness and Public Participation Programme and the outcomes from his review of the website.
The Honourable Leo Cato emphasised the importance of the work of the FROC and assured the FROC of his support for the effective functioning of the FROC, particularly as it continues its work into 2026. As such, during the next 6 months, the FROC would continue to monitor compliance with the Fiscal Resilience Act, prepare the legislated report on the assessment of the Medium-term Fiscal Framework (2026-2028), review the results from the essay competition and begin preparing for the FROC 2025 Annual report. The FROC looks forward to the continued engagement as it institutionalises the operations of the FROC to make it the model Parliamentary Financial Oversight Committee.
For further information, contact the Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee: Email: [email protected]; and/or PO Box 3477. Follow the weekly posts on the Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee Facebook and LinkedIn pages and visit the FROC website.
Laurel Bain
Chairwoman, Fiscal Resilience Oversight Committee
