§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many quasi-autonomous non-governmental bodies there are in the Principality; what the comparable number was on (a) 1 January 1980 and (b) 1 January 1990; and what proposals he has for reducing the number of such bodies.
§ Mr. David HuntThere are currently 21 executive non-departmental public bodies in Wales. There were 17 executive non-departmental public bodies in 1982 (the first year that this information was collected) and 19 in 1990. In addition, there are nine district health authorities and eight family health services authorities (previously known as family practitioner committees). This number has remained constant.
The Welsh Office has a policy of financial management and planning reviews. Executive non-departmental public bodies are subject to such a review every five years when the justification for the contiued existence of each of these bodies is considered.