Following PASC's report on the government's 'bonfire of the quangos', the focus must now be on managing the transition or demise of affected arm's length bodies – with the interests of the public in mind.
We’ve produced our report, Read Before Burning. We had in the autumn the results of the Government review. Today, we heard coruscating criticism from the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) of the way the government carried out its review.
There seems to be a deal of unhelpful emotion creeping into this debate – words like "absurd" (a Cabinet Office spokesman, responding to the Select Committee’s claim, in its turn, that the Government’s review was "botched"). Even some of the commentators are affected, occasionally allowing personal agendas to skew their normal objectivity.
So where next?
Well, let's hope that the government takes notice of what we and the PASC have in our different ways said:
- there is much work still to be done with arm's length bodies (or quangos, if you must)
- a simpler structure needs to be introduced
- the government has made a frank admission that the savings once trailed simply aren’t there
- and above all - a positive look forward is needed to help those organisations which are for the chop manage their demise effectively.
- offer an independent perspective to government (the Office for Budget Responsibility)
- deliver essential services (legal aid)
- offer expert and valued advice (the Migration Advisory Committee) .
- Topic
- Public services
- Keywords
- Arm's-length bodies Select committees