§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the President of the Board of Trade 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. Eggar[holding answer 6 July 1993]: All the executive NDPBs sponsored by the Department are accountable to DTI Ministers for their use of public funds and we are accountable to Parliament. The specific answers to the questions are: 219W
- (a) No.
- (b) No.
- (c) Yes, where the body receives grant or grant-in-aid.
- (d) No.
- (e) Yes, where appropriate.
- (f) The citizens charter applies to all NDPBs which provide a public service.
The chairmen and members of the boards are expected to declare an interest where relevant.