§ 31. Mr. ElletsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many non-departmental public bodies were in existence in (a) April 1991 and (b) April 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThere were 1,412 non-departmental public bodies in existence in April 1992 compared with 1,444 in April 1991. The April 1992 total is the lowest since the data were first collected in 1979.
§ Mr. ElletsonI congratulate my right hon. Friend on his answer—the fall in the figures is small, but welcome. Will he comment on the increase in the number of quangos that would have occurred under a Labour Government, especially in view of the Labour's plans for regional women's units and specialist—
§ Madam SpeakerOrder. Not only is the hon. Gentleman's question out of order, it is hypothetical. If the hon. Gentleman has a substantive question that is in order, I shall take it.
§ Mr. ElletsonWill my right hon. Friend confirm that over the past year there has been a substantial fall in the number of quangos, which significantly would not have occurred under a Labour Government?
§ Mr. WaldegraveAs you decisively said, Madam Speaker, any reference to a Labour Government is indeed very hypothetical.
My hon. Friend is entirely right: there has been a fall. There are now 800 fewer quangos than there were in 1979, and 100,000 fewer people are employed in them.