§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to(a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [16021]
§ Mr. KynochThe information requested is as follows:(a) the Crofters' Commission, new town development corporations, Red Deer Commission, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Homes, Scottish Legal Aid Board, Scottish Medical Practices Committee, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Sports Council, Scottish tourist board; (b) none, as the Audit Commission does not operate in Scotland. The Accounts Commission for Scotland scrutinises the accounts of the seven Scottish river purification boards; (c) this information is listed in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1995", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House; (d) none, although all executive NDPBs are expected to comply with all reasonable requests for information from Parliament, users of services and individual citizens; (e) performance indicators are part of the management statement or corporate plan for each NDPB; (f) the citizens charter applies to all public services, including NDPBs. NDPBs serving the public, including those sponsored by my Department, are therefore expected to meet the charter standards.
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