§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible have been(a) established and (b) abolished since 1997. 182941]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Ministry of Defence has seven executive and 12 advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPB)s. The following advisory NDPBs have been established in MOD since 1997
Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (1998)Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures (1998)Nuclear Research Advisory Council (2001)The Department also took on the sponsorship role of the Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and the War Pensions Committees (a multiple body) following the transfer of the Veterans Agency (formerly known as the War Pensions Agency) from the Department for Work and Pensions in 2001.
The Royal College of Defence Studies Advisory Board and the Royal Military College of Science Advisory Council have been abolished since 1997. In addition the Nuclear Powered Warships Safety Committee and Nuclear Weapons Safety Committees merged in this period to form the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee.
The National Employers' Liaison Board. later renamed the National Employers' Advisory Board was relaunched in 2002 as "Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers". Finally the Independent Board of Visitors for Military Corrective Training Centre has recently been re-categorised from an advisory NDPB to an independent monitoring board. Further details on MOD's NDPBs are in the Cabinet Office annual "Public Bodies" publications which can also be found on the Cabinet Office website.