HC Deb 25 November 1994 vol 250 cc417-9W
Mr. Sykes

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which quangos his Department has abolished since 1979.

Mr. Redwood

The public bodies abolished since 1979 are as follows:

Executive

  • Cwmbran Development Corporation
  • Welsh Water Authority

Advisory

  1. (1)Agricultural Regional Panels for North and South Wales (2)
    • Careers Service Advisory Council for Wales
    • Celtic Sea Advisory Committee
    • Committee for Under Fives Initiative
    • Committee on Opportunities for Volunteering
    • Health Education Advisory Committee for Wales
  2. (2)Housing Management Advisory Panel for Wales
    • Perinatal Mortality Survey Group
    • Review Group on Mental Illness Services in Dyfed
    • Review of Community Nursing Services for Wales
    • Training, Enterprise and Education Advisory Group for Wales
    • Wales Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education
    • Standing Working Group
    • Welsh Committee of the Health Services Board
    • Welsh Committee on Alcohol Misuse
    • Welsh Committee on Drug Misuse
    • Welsh Computer Strategy Committee
    • Welsh Council
    • Welsh Language Translation Advisory Panel

Tribunals

  • Milk and Dairies Tribunal for Wales
  1. (1)Replaced in 1980 by the Agriculture Advisory Panel for Wales
  2. (2)The final meeting of the Panel was held on 29 July 1994; no successor body is planned.

Mr. Sykes

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many quangos his Department was responsible for(a) in 1979 and (b) in the latest year for which a number is available.

Mr. Redwood

The information is as follows:

Executive Advisory Tribunal Total
(a)1979 16 21 3 40
(b)1994 24 28 11 63

These figures exclude the NHS, and include eight new valuation tribunals.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have stood as parliamentary candidates for(a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party.

(2) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have stood as candidates to borough, city, district or county councils for (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party.

(3) how many members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members have previously served as councillors representing (a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party.

Mr. Redwood

The information is not held centrally.

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many known members of(a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party currently serve on quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members.

Mr. Redwood

Appointments to public bodies are made on the basis of merit, aptitude and suitability to meet the demands of the post.

Nominees on the Welsh Office register of candidates, from which appointees are drawn, are not required to give details of any political affiliation. Some 93 per cent. of nominees do not volunteer any information, and therefore no information about their affiliation is held.

The analysis of serving members of public bodies appointed by the Welsh Office who have volunteered, at the time of their nomination to the register, the nature of their political affiliation is as follows:

Political Number Percentage of Appointees
Conservative 36 4.5
Labour 9 1.1
Liberal Democrat 1 0.1
Plaid Cymru 1 0.1

Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members.

Mr. Redwood

The information is given in "Appointments by the Secretary of State for Wales 1 September 1994" which is available in the Library of the House.

1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93
Clwyd 227 319 356 440 605
Dyfed 228 297 308 369 539
Gwen 220 252 209 436 451
Gwynedd 149 211 147 294 265
Mid Glamorgan 363 426 577 777 975
Powys 29 48 53 54 96
South Glamorgan 486 493 589 644 848
West Glamorgan 220 275 305 266 328
Wales 1,922 2,321 2,544 3,280 4,107
1 It includes complaints concerning the hospital and community health service and family health services. Pembrokeshire figures are included with east Dyfed as Dyfed FHSA covers both health authority areas.