§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in existence on 1 May 1997 that(a) have been disbanded, indicating when they were 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. [90674]
§ Mr. KilfoyleSince 1 May 1997, Cabinet Office Ministers have abolished three NDPBs: the Citizen's Charter Panel of Advisers; the Deregulation Task Force; and the People's Panel Advisory Group. No Cabinet Office NDPB is due to be abolished over the next twelve months and none has had its functions transferred or has been renamed. A list of all NDPBs currently sponsored by the Cabinet Office is published on the Internet (www cabinet-office. gov. uk/quango).
The Cabinet Office has set up three new NDPBs since 1 May 1997: the Better Regulation Task Force; the People's Panel Advisory Group; and the Security Vetting Appeals Panel. The People's Panel Advisory Group was only in existence for a short time and was abolished on 1 July 1999.
The Cabinet Office currently sponsors ten NDPBs, although the Minister for the Cabinet Office is also responsible for a COI-Sponsored NDPB and for seventeen NDPBs sponsored by the Duchy of Lancaster Office. The Government are committed to keeping the number of NDPBs to a minimum and to ensuring that those that remain are open, accountable and effective.