§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in existence on 1 May 1997 that(a) have been disbanded, (b) will be disbanded in the next 12 months, (c) have had their functions transferred to (i) another non-departmental public body and (ii) a democratically elected body, (d) have been renamed but continue to perform a similar role and (e) have been unchanged; if he will indicate in (c) (ii) the relevant successor body; what new non-departmental public bodies have been established since 1 May 1997; and how many non-departmental public bodies his Department currently is responsible for. [53864]
§ Mr. MealeThe information is as follows:
- (a) 12 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by this Department have been wound-up since 1 may 1997; 9 Urban Development Corporations—Birmingham Heartlands, Black Country, London Docklands, Merseyside, Plymouth, Sheffield, Trafford Park, Teesside and Tyne & Wear—which were executive NDPBs, and 3 advisory bodies—the Assessment Panel for Construction Research, the Advisory Committee on Plant and Machinery and the Local Government Staff Commission (England).
- (b) North Hull Housing Action Trust, an executive NDPB, is due to be wound-up early in 1999.
- (c) No bodies have had their functions transferred to either (i) another NDPB or (ii) a democratically elected body.
- (d) None have been renamed but continue to perform a similar function.
- (e) Details of other NDPBs in existence on 1 May 1997 sponsored by this Department are listed in "Public Bodies 1997".
Four advisory NDPBs have been established since 1 May 1997; the Committee on Chemicals and Materials on Construction for use in Public Water Supplies and Swimming Pools, the Expert Group on Airborne Particles, the Expert Group on Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies, and the Expert Panel on Sustainable Development Education. Docklands Light Railway was reclassified as an executive NDPB, to enable it to receive grant-in-aid from the Department, on 1 April 1998 following the wind-up of London Docklands Development Corporation.
This Department currently sponsors 50 NDPBs—28 executive and 22 advisory bodies.
The Government are committed to keeping the number of NDPBs to a minimum and to ensuring that those which remain are open, accountable and effective. Many of the new NDPBs established since 1 May 1997 will be essential in helping the Government to deliver their Manifesto commitments.