HC Deb 25 April 1995 vol 258 c407W
Mr. Matthew Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 January,Official Report, columns 594–95, whether he and his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health have decided whether the Central Statistical Office and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys should be merged. [21274]

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have concluded that there would be benefits from such a merger. Subject to the views of other interested parties, we propose that on 1 April 1996 the two organisations should merge to form a new next steps agency which would be accountable to me.

I am placing in the Library a document setting out the functions and responsibilities of the proposed new agency and the benefits which we believe would arise from the merger. Copies of this document will shortly be sent to those known to have a close interest in the work of the two organisations, with an invitation to make any comments on the proposals within three months.

A decision on the proposed merger will be announced as soon as possible after that.

Mr. Matthew Banks

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the outcome of the review of the agency status for the Central Statistical Office. [21226]

Mr. Nelson

I announced on 18 November 1994,Official Report, column 12, that a review of the agency status of the Central Statistical Office was being undertaken by a small team representing a cross-section of interest in the CSO and its statistics. Since then, the performance of the CSO has been evaluated and CSO activities have been subjected to the prior options tests set out in "Next Steps Review', Cm 2430. A wide-ranging consultation exercise has been carried out and the views received have been incorporated in the team's report. The team recommended that the CSO remain an agency and the Government have accepted this recommendation. A copy of the review team's report is being placed in the Library. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced today that the Government propose that, subject to the views of other interested parties, the CSO should merge with the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys from 1 April 1996. We therefore propose to take forward the outcome of the CSO agency review in that context.