Merging, scrapping or taking over quangos needs a clear rationale

The Government has announced that it is to try and further cut red tape by merging or scrapping quangos or bringing them under central departmental control.

 

The announcement comes after NHS England was scrapped last month with an announcement of which bodies will be affected in the coming week.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“Specialist civil servants working around the country in arm’s length bodies (ALBs) do incredibly important work that is often underappreciated in Westminster. If these functions are to be brought back in to central departments then there need to be clear objectives and rationale for doing so.

“Many ALBs have advisory roles and important safety functions which require independence from central government, there must be clarity on how this would be maintained if organisations are merged.

“Above all, any reorganisation must not jeopardise the essential expertise and specialist skills contained within ALBs, and must make it easier to recruit and retain the specialists the civil service needs.”