§ Lord Bassam of BrightonI am pleased to announce that today the Cabinet Office is launching its new "Public Bodies" database, to replace the previous annual publication. It can be found on the Civil Service website athttp://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/ndpb/ndpb.nsf
The database lists the public bodies sponsored by central government, with contact details, information about their remit and about the membership of their boards. The figures are broken down between male and female members for individual bodies, and summaries are provided at departmental level for the proportions of board members who have declared they have a disability or come from a minority ethnic background.
The database also includes information about the Government's task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews, giving a more complete picture of the bodies and groups working to deliver the Government's objectives.
Initially it contains data as at 31 March 2004, consistent with previous years' publications. A selection of statistical reports is available now, and enhanced reports will become available in due course. Users who wish to print out an individual record will be able to do so using standard Internet print facilities. We will place a complete printout of the database contents in the parliamentary Libraries as soon as the full range of data is available and validated; and make a portable document format (.pdf) file of that available for public download from the website.