§ 17. Mr. Englishasked the Secretary of State for Trade for which quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations he is responsible.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimSuch organisations are not officially defined. With permission, I will circulate in the Official Report a list of public bodies, other than nationalised industries, to which my right hon. Friend make appointments.
§ Mr. EnglishWill they all be brought within the scope of public audit as soon as possible?
§ Mrs. OppenheimIt is the present Government's attitude that there are too many quangos. I am reviewing those for which I am responsible, and I shall abolish any which I consider serve no useful purpose.
§ Mr. EnglishOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The question was directed to the right hon. Lady's right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will pursue the matter after Question Time. He knows—and new hon. Members might as well learn it—that I do not like taking points of order during Question Time. We shall leave it until the end of Question Time.
§ Mr. MaclennanDoes the right hon. Lady intend to abolish the National Consumer Council?
§ Mrs. OppenheimNo, Sir.
§ Following is the list:
- Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites
- Advisory Committee on the Safety of House-hold Electrical Equipment
- Advisory Committee for the National Film Development Fund
- Air Travel Reserve Fund Agency
- British Film Fund Agency
- British Hallmarking Council
- British Overseas Trade Advisory Council
- British Overseas Trade Board
- British Tourist Authority
- Central Transport Consultative Committee
- 11 Area Transport Users' Consultative Committees
- Cinematograph Films Council
- Civil Aviation Authority
- Consumer Protection Advisory Committee
- Distribution Statistics Advisory Committee
- Domestic Coal Consumers' Council
- Electricity Consumers' Council
- 12 Area Electricity Consultative Councils
- English Tourist Board
- Export Guarantees Advisory Council
- Hearing Aid Council
- Insolvency Law Review Committee
- Insurance Advisory Panel
- Insurance Brokers Registration Council
- Interim Action Committee on the Film Industry
- Metrication Board
- Monopolies and Mergers Commission
- National Consumer Council
- Scottish Consumer Council
- Welsh Consumer Council
- National Film Finance Corporation
- National Gas Consumers' Council
- 12 Regional Gas Consumers' Councils
- Northern Lighthouse Board
- Office of Fair Trading
- Overseas Projects Board
- Pilotage Commission
- Policyholders Protection Board
- Post Office Users' National Council
- Post Office Users' Council for Northern Ireland
- Post Office Users' Council for Scotland
- Post Office Users' Council for Wales
- Price Commission
- Simplification of International Trade Procedures Board
- Tate and Lyle Consumer Safeguards Committee
§ Later—
§ Mr. EnglishOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In reply to an earlier question of mine, the Minister for Consumer Affairs spoke of quangos for which she—she used the personal pronoun "I"—was responsible. The question was directed to the Secretary of State who, by convention, is responsible, with the Cabinet. The right hon. Lady is not responsible for any of them. The only quango for which anyone in the Government is directly responsible is the Civil Aviation Authority. Will you direct Ministers to answer questions correctly and not incorrectly in future?
§ Mr. SpeakerIf I took that power to myself, I should also take the power to direct hon. Members what questions to ask. I should not be here very long after that if I did.