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Government quango cuts: who survived?

Laura Chamberlain

Thursday 14 October 2010 13:53

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has survived the Government's quango cuts but many others have been axed or are still under review.

Cabinet minister Francis Maude announced that 192 non-departmental government bodies will be abolished, 118 will be merged and a further 171 are to be substantially reformed.

Some organisations are still under consideration, such as the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). The body, which advises employers, individuals and the Government on employment and skills systems, will be reviewed by the end of the year on its core functions and "the most appropriate organisational model to deliver a simplified skills landscape across the UK".

Chris Humphries, chief executive of UKCES commented: "The position of the UK Commission is currently under consideration by government ... our work around simplifying, streamlining and integrating the UK’s employment and skills systems is directly relevant to this, and we plan to enhance this going forward."

Maude said in a statement to the Commons that it is unlikely remaining quangos will stay completely unchanged. They will not be allowed to go back to the "old way of working".

"We recognise that some of these bodies do hugely important and essential work that has to be done at arm's length from Government, especially when political impartiality, independence or technical expertise is required," he added.

Duties of some of the abolished organisations will instead be handled by other departments. The Disability Employment Advisory Committee, which is set to be axed, will transfer its advice services on disability employment to Equality 2025, an advisory group of disabled people.

Among those in line to be merged are the Pensions Ombudsman and the Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman, which will become a single non-departmental public body.

A Public Bodies Bill will be introduced at a later date to enable the mass changes to quangos to be implemented.

For a full list of the plans for employment-related quangos, see the table below.

Employment-related public bodies - Government proposals
Govt. dept.	Public body	Proposed reforms
BIS	UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)	Under consideration - complete review by end of year of core functions and the most appropriate organisational model to deliver a simplified skills landscape across the UK
BIS	Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
BIS	Film Industry Training Board	Under consideration - complete consideration by November 2010 of transferring body and functions to private sector status
BIS	Higher Education Funding Council for England	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
BIS	Low Pay Commission	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
BIS	Office of Manpower Economics	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
CO	Senior Salaries Review Body	Retain - retain on the grounds of impartiality
Defra	Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales	No longer an NDPB - abolish and bring agricultural workers under national minimum wage legislation, as previously announced
Defra	Agricultural Wages Committees (x15)	No longer an NDPB - abolish bodies and functions, as previously announced
Defra	Gangmasters Licensing Authority	Retain - retain on grounds of impartiality
DfE	Children’s Workforce Development Council	Under consideration - options being considered with an announcement to be made before the end of 2010
DfE	General Teaching Council for England	No longer an NDPB - abolish body as part of the Government’s wider plans to streamline and improve arrangements for tackling underperforming teachers, as previously announced
DfE	National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services	Under consideration - options being considered with an announcement to be made before the end of 2010
DfE	School Support Staff Negotiating Body	Under consideration - subject to further discussions with employer and union representatives
DfE	School Teachers’ Review Body	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires political impartiality
DfE	Training and Development Agency for Schools	Under consideration - options being considered with an announcement to be made before the end of 2010
DfE	Young People’s Learning Agency	Under consideration - subject to education structural reforms
DH	Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence	No longer an NDPB - abolish as an NDPB and make a self-funding body, as previously announced
DH	General Social Care Council	No longer an NDPB - abolish and transfer functions to health professions council, as previously announced
DH	NHS Pay Review Body	Retain - retain on the grounds of impartiality
DH	Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration	Retain - retain on the grounds of impartiality
MoJ	Information Commissioner’s Office	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
MoJ	Prison Service Pay Review Body	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a function that requires impartiality
HO	National Policing Improvement Agency	No longer an NDPB - currently considering which functions must be delivered nationally and where they should sit in a rationalised national policing landscape, as previously announced
HO	Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner	Under consideration - future options, including possible merger, under consideration
GEO	Equality and Human Rights Commission	Retain and substantially reform - retain, with better focus on its core regulatory functions and improved use of taxpayers' money
GEO	Women’s National Commission	No longer an NDPB - abolish body and bring core functions into the Government Equalities Office, which will ensure direct ministerial engagement with women and women's organisations
DWP	Disability Employment Advisory Committee	No longer an NDPB - transfer Disability Employment Advice function to Equality 2025
DWP	Equality 2025	Retain - the group will now advise on areas previously covered by other bodies on issues affecting disabled people
DWP	Health and Safety Executive	Retain - HSE’s functions and expenditure are being scrutinised in the context of the Spending Review and Lord Young's review of health and safety
DWP	Industrial Injuries Advisory Council	Retain - retain on grounds of impartiality
DWP	National Employment Savings Trust	Retain - retain on grounds of performing a technical function that should be independent of Government
DWP	Pension Protection Fund	Retain - retain on grounds of impartiality
DWP	Pensions Ombudsman	Merge - merge with Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman to form a single tribunal NDPB
DWP	Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman	Merge - merge with Pensions Ombudsman to form a single tribunal NDPB
DWP	The Pensions Regulator	Retain - retain on grounds of impartiality
DWP	Remploy	Under consideration
DWP	The Pensions Advisory Service	Retain - retain on grounds of impartiality
Abbreviations used NDPB - Non-departmental Public Body; BIS - Department for Business, Innovation & Skills; CO - Cabinet Office; Defra - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; DfE - Department for Education; DH - Department of Health; MoJ - Ministry of Justice; HO - Home Office; GEO - Government Equalities Office; DWP - Department for Work and Pensions.