§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales to whom each of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department is responsible; whether the public bodies or their members in each case are subject to(a) surcharge, (b) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (c) scrutiny by the Audit Commission or National Audit Office, (d) the statutory provisions for open Government which apply to local authorities, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens' charters; and whether the chairpersons and members of the boards of each of these bodies are required to declare an interest.
§ Mr. RedwoodThe Welsh Office sponsors 17 executive non-departmental public bodies—NDPBs. Details are available in "Public Bodies" and in the Department's 1993 annual report. The functions and responsibilities of each NDPB are specified in its founding legislation or charter. The Secretary of State is responsible and accountable to Parliament for the resources provided for NDPBs, and the general framework within which they are required to operate. For most NDPBs, the chief executive is designated as the accounting officer and, together with the departmental accounting officer, is liable to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to account for the use of public funds.
(a) and (d)I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 15 JuneOfficial Report, columns 544–45.
(b) The NDPBs in Wales subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration are:
- Sports Council for Wales
- Wales Tourist Board
- Development Board for Rural Wales
- Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
- Housing for Wales
- Countryside Council for Wales
- Agricultural Wages Committee
(c) Executive NDPBs in Wales are generally audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General: where the Comptroller and Auditor General is not himself responsible for auditing a particular body, he retains certain rights of inspection.
(e) All NDPBs in Wales have or are developing performance indicators for their own internal management and to enable the Department to monitor their performance.
(f) All NDPBs in Wales are expected to adopt the principles of the citizens charter in their dealings with the public.
Members of NDPBs in Wales are expected to declare any potential conflict of interest.