Non-departmental Public Bodies

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Excerpts

Tuesday 19th October 2010 Lords Chamber

Asked By

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many jobs will be lost and how much money will be saved in the next comprehensive spending review period as a result of the decisions on the future of non-departmental public bodies announced on 14 October.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: My Lords, the reforms to public bodies are about increasing the accountability of public services; they are not driven by savings. The primary vehicle for delivering savings will be the spending review. However, these proposals will help to support the Government’s commitment to reduce the costs of central Whitehall and its public bodies by at least one third. For each of the reforms, individual organisations will be working with their staff to make sensible plans as to when and how the workforce will need to change.

[Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean]

My Lords, the Minister said that this is about accountability, and he is accountable to the House to give us as much information as he can. Is he saying that the Government have carried out no calculations on job losses and the costs involved, or is he saying that he will not tell us what those calculations are until tomorrow with the CSR? I refer to the handbook, which states:

“Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament … refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”.

How can the Minister justify not giving detailed information? Is he saying that it is not in the public interest to do so, or is it simply not in the Government’s interest to do so?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

Perhaps if I may say so, I do not think that I need reminding by the noble Baroness of my responsibility at the Dispatch Box. It is very important not to conflate the savings that will come from the public bodies review with the spending review which will be announced tomorrow. The savings from the public bodies review are being made within departments. The departments will make announcements about the detailed savings that they will be making consequent upon the spending review tomorrow.