Ron Davies: Cutting quango bureaucracy

Quangos To Pay the Price for Welsh Assembly

Critics of the Government's plans for the new body had cited cost as a major argument, but Mr Davies said that millions of pounds could be saved by merging several Welsh agencies.

The costs of the proposed sixty-member assembly in Cardiff are officially estimated at between £15 and 20 million a year. Opponents of devolution expect much higher costs.

Ministers are sensitive to accusations that the money would have to be found through cutting services like health and education. The Welsh Secretary now has pledged that this will not happen.

Mr Davies says that he will find the money by cutting the bureaucracy of appointed quangos in Wales. These organisations currently have a combined budget of £800 million budget. They perform state functions, but are not accountable to anyone.

Anti-devolution campaigners say that the one-off cost of setting up the assembly would still have to be met by the taxpayer. Mr Davies however wants to find the money required by selling off the headquarters of disolved quangos.