back to article Quango bonfire torches websites

The complete list of quangos to be quashed by the Coalition has been released and fortunately republished by the BBC and other media because the government's own sites have been still mostly unavailable today. The Central Office of Information website has been down for most of the day - it is one of the quangos which is still …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Ku...

    How many times is Becta going to be killed?

    That thing has some serious resiliance man. Becta has been announced as killed off a half dozen times now.

  2. seanj
    WTF?

    Jobs for the boys...

    Is it any wonder many taxpayers think that this quango lark was just a way for MPs (of any party colour) to give jobs to their mates when there's quango's like "The Government Hospitality Advisory Committee on the Purchase of Wines"?

    Where's the Dr Frasier Crane icon when you need it? He'd probably vie with Niles to run said quango, with hilarity ensuing, no doubt...

  3. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

    Even if savings aren't made

    by bringing employees of quangos back under the umbrella of government, theoretically this makes them more transparent and accountable (stop sniggering a the back), as they are then subject to the FOIA, etc. In theory it also reduces the chief-to-indian quotient.

    1. NogginTheNog

      or...

      ...just ensures that any decisions or ideas get bogged down in civil service red tape and cronism!

      Not that I'm for ALL of these quangoes, or more specifically the culture that bred them, but some of them DO do good work, at arms length from political interference.

      1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

        As with many things

        There is a balancing act to be performed. On the one hand, QUANGOs have independence, so are theoretically non-partisan (although I imagine a lot of appointments will be politically inspired). On the other hand, they are independent from government, and therefore less accountable. Where the body has responsibility for overseeing things, then they probably should be independent from government. Where they have authority to do more, such as regulate training, levy fines, etc. then they should be accountable.

        That's my opinion anyway; others are welcome to theirs...

  4. nichomach
    Thumb Down

    @Loyal Commenter

    Bravo for picking up the NEW reason for abolishing them (as per Francis Maude on the Today programme this morning) that they adopted once they worked out that they weren't going to save much (if any) money by abolishing them. Nasty case of sophistry the ConDems are coming down with...

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      However

      I also believe that there are target efficiency savings in the civil service to be made as well. Presumably these targets will be applied equally to functions that have been absorbed from said QUANGOs.

      Either way, making savings in government is never going to be an easy task. It's not a new topic, I believe the central premise was covered in 'Yes Minister' over a number of episodes...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    aww

    Ofcom's staying...

    Ofcom - Merge. The postal services regulator, Postcomm, will be merged ito Ofcom. Several Ofcom duties will be removed or modified.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Yeah, Ofcons staying

      Despite Davey boy's promise to abolish the utter waste of space/old boys club/failure that pretends its a regulator*

      *delete as applicable. On second thoughts, don't delete, they're all applicable.

      For the pre-election pledge see:

      http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2009/07/David_Cameron_People_Power_-_Reforming_Quangos.aspx

      How do you tell when politician is lying...? Their lips move.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    this is just a plot

    to get rid of ie6 use by h m government

    1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Happy

      AC@15:03

      "to get rid of ie6 use by h m government"

      I think most people would say "God I hope it works."

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Central Office of information in limbo

    Or that's what they want you to thino.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @my previous post

    *Or possibly even think.

    1. Ted Treen
      Pint

      @your correction

      I prefer 'thino"

  9. Rogerborg

    Again with the "redundancy packages" line

    Quangos are mostly independent limited companies. Why would the government pay one penny more than statutory guaranteed redundancy to employees of those companies, any more than they paid it to me the two times I've been Right Sized from a limited company during my thrilling career in the real world?

    The quangos own their own troughs. It's up to them to dole out the remaining swill to the squealing piggies - SQUEAL, PIGGIES! - not to come to the taxpayer for yet more handouts. There's no swill left, piggies! You eated it all!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      They may

      well be private companies, but if they have 5-year contracts then that is worth more than 12 weeks pay....lots more. Then there are the pension rights.....

  10. Code Monkey

    Some good, some bad

    BNFL is a strange one, given the broad Tory support for the next generation nuclear power stations. Presumably the British taxpayers will pay the French to do it.

    Something about the Competition Commission in a merger makes me smile.

    I can't argue with the P45s heading to the Advisory Board on the Registration of Homeopathic Products and Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee. Presumably they'll dilute their giros with water and spin it out indefinitely. OK it's not nice to laugh at people losing their jobs but we shouldn't have been paying these charlatans in the first place.

    And well done for keeping the BBC World Service. Given how far these bastards are up Murdoch's arse, this is a pleasant surprise.

    1. Ian Atkin

      @ Code Monkey

      All of BNFL's assets have already been privatised, so it only exists in name at this stage (for pension liabilities etc).

      Private organisations (EDF Energy, Horizon Nuclear Power, etc) will be building new nuclear, not the public sector.

  11. Beanzy
    Black Helicopters

    Gone or just hidden?

    No mention of the Police Authorities under the HO. ?

    Should be interesting once we have local facists with big bucks campaigning to be the elected police comissioner for each district.

  12. Mage Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Good line

    The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors has also been given a stay of execution

  13. Ihre Papiere Bitte!!

    Homeopathy & Herbalism

    Current Advisory bodies going = Good. They're useless.

    Not replacing them with a body that says "produce _evidence_ or stop claiming you can cure everything in the world from AIDS to cancer to a cold with a smidge of pollen that's been diluted a zillion zillion zillion times and then banged on a horsehair mat" = Bad.

    Can I have an icon of a hand from the Deep South of America where there's a thumb at the top and the bottom to indicate that it goes both ways?

    1. Blue eyed boy
      Thumb Up

      This title intentionally left blank

      That's quite a high-potency comment there.

  14. Kubla Cant
    WTF?

    Objectors to what?

    It's half a century since conscription ended. Presumably The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors meets periodically to advise that there aren't any conscientious objectors.

    Are there also Advisory Committees on Anabaptists, Dodo Skinners....?

    1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      If I remember rightly

      The committee is involved in cases where members of the armed forces feel that their conscience prevents them from carrying out questionable orders from above. It could very well be argued that this committee therefore provides a valuable and necessary service for members of the armed forces. IIRC, it also costs very little, even when not considered in the larger scheme of things.

      Disclaimer: I am only repeating what another poster put in a comment on a previous artivle where the same subject was raised. No doubt, these claims can be either verified, or debunked, by some judicious application of a well known search engine.

    2. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

      Here,

      let me google that for you:

      http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1043A1A3-DF1A-46E7-8534-94BBEDE07932/0/acco_annreport0708.pdf

  15. Blue eyed boy
    Happy

    Will there still only be one

    Monopolies and Mergers Commission? Or was it merged long ago?

    1. Ted Treen
      Alien

      Of course not..

      There will be Monopolies commission which will compete with a Mergers commission, 'cos as any fule kno, competition breeds efficiency & gives the consumer choice...

  16. dephormation.org.uk
    Coat

    The ICO

    Why aren't the ICO Data Protection Racket on the list?

    As a quango they are a pointless corrupt handwringing lazy incompent toothless puppet regulator parasitic waste of time and money.

    Here Mr Graham, take your coat and sod off... don't let the door etc.

  17. Baskitcaise
    Coat

    Website down?

    You know when you’ve been quangoed!

    Mine`s the orange one please...

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like