§ Lord Orr-Ewingasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the 1983 edition of Public Bodies will be published; what additional information will be included this year; and whether any further reductions have been achieved in the number of non-departmental public bodies.
The Minister of State, Privy Council Office, and Minister for the Arts (The Earl of Gowrie)Public Bodies 1983 is published today; copies have been placed in the Library.
In addition to information about non-departmental public bodies and nationalised industries included in last year's edition, the 1983 edition gives details of staffing, expenditure and appointments to National Health Service authorities and appointments to certain public corporations. Men's and women's appointments are also shown separately for the first time.
I am pleased to report that the Government's policy of continuing scrutiny of all non-departmental public bodies has enabled a further reduction in their number, from 1,779 to 1,697, since last year.