Audit Commission

Lord McKenzie of Luton Excerpts

Thursday 14th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, yes,

[Lord McKenzie of Luton]

My Lords, the Minister has talked about value for money. Please will she tell the House what impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposals to abolish the Audit Commission and whether she will publish it? In particular, will she say what are the estimated winding-up costs and how long it will be before any savings are anticipated?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, clearly there will be savings. At the moment, the estimate is about £50 million, but I expect that may vary either up or down. The Audit Commission has appointed Gareth Davies to see how the commission is taken into the private sector, which is an excellent move forward. I look forward to seeing how that goes and the Audit Commission’s proposals for the future.