§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what progress he is making on the elimination of bureaucracy, waste and maladministration in the conduct of non-departmental public bodies in Wales; and if he will make a statement; [30744]
(2) what new measures he will introduce to make quangos democratically accountable; and if he will make a statement. [30745]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe Welsh Office continues to remind public bodies of the need for the highest standards of propriety in the conduct of public affairs in Wales. We have developed the arrangements previously introduced for monitoring and controlling the performance of public bodies in Wales. This work has meant that the Welsh Office has already been able to put into effect a number of recommendations of the first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
My right hon. Friend and I hold regular meetings with each Welsh executive public body to consider targets and performance; and they are provided with clear statements of their responsibilities, the roles of the board and staff and of the Welsh Office. Each pubic body is also expected to adopt, with such adaptations as are appropriate to its circumstances, the code of best practice for board members of public bodies published by HM Treasury in June 1994. This requires public bodies and their boards to:
observe the highest standard of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to their stewardship of public funds;comply with Government policy on openness and to respond to all reasonable requests for information;be accountable to Parliament, individual citizens and staff for the activities of the bodies concerned, their stewardship of public funds and the extent to which key performance targets have been met;maximise value of money by ensuring their activities are carried out in the most efficient and economical way.