Arm’s-length Bodies

Lord Brennan of Canton Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises the most important of points. I assure her that the Cabinet Office is working closely with sponsoring departments to make sure that, while we recognise and want to eliminate duplication, we are not doing so by deleting both functions in one go. We will be very sensitive about how we approach this.

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords, listening to the other side on this is sometimes reminiscent of the infamous episode of the soap opera “Dallas” in which Bobby Ewing, supposedly dead in a previous series, emerges from the shower because the previous series had all been a dream. When the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, was Prime Minister he created 184 new quangos, and between 2018 and 2023 the May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak Governments created 17 more. Is it not nonsense for the other side to criticise this Government, who are making a real effort to abolish these bodies?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for his question and obviously agree with him. I just want to touch on one of the new bodies criticised by noble Lords opposite. Your Lordships have discussed Great British Railways on many occasions. It is going to replace Network Rail and a DfT operator. It will save £150 million a year in fees paid to the private sector. There is a purpose to what we are doing: to make sure that we have the right arm’s-length bodies where necessary but that we also have appropriate responsibilities and accountability to your Lordships’ House.