Evidence submission: PACAC Public Bodies Inquiry
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Public bodies now account for around 60 per cent of day-to-day government spending, providing some of the most important and high-risk services. Despite this, departments are unclear on the power they have over public bodies and the main channels for holding them to account are underpowered, under resourced or simply ineffective.
With the Government committed to establishing new public bodies and reliant on existing ones to restore economic growth and deliver its five missions, it is vital that the right processes are in place for departments to deliver through public bodies, but also that public bodies are only created where they add genuine value.
This submission to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's inquiry into public bodies, details the problems and potential solutions across four main areas:
- Oversight of Public Bodies
- Governance and transparency requirements of Public Bodies
- Whether the Cabinet Office tests for Public Body creation are appropriate and consistently applied
- Ministerial influence and involvement in Public Bodies' work
It is informed by a recent Re:State report on the future of public bodies: