Last Quango in Powys?

Bonfire of the Quangos

In the last few years, the role of the unelected quangos - quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations - has been one of the most bitterly fought issues in Welsh politics.

There are an estimated 1,800 jobs on quangos in the Wales, covering - among other things - health, economic development, housing and the Welsh culture. Of those places, 715 appointments are in the gift of the Welsh Secretary, and 405 of those positions are paid.

The budget for political appointees in Wales is £7 million, some of which Mr Davies may now have earmarked to fund the new assembly. The total budgets administered by the Welsh quangos tops £825 million, however, so there is ample scope for the estimated £15-20 million assembly start-up costs to be met.

It's Bonfire Night

Development Agency to be Merged

In June, Mr Davies pledged to abolish more than half of the Welsh quangos in the first three years of the Government, and said he was ending the days of "jobs for the boys" by opening the process of public appointments to scrutiny. Appointments would be advertised publicly, and candidates would be selected against objective and published criteria. He said at the time: "We can put behind us the days of 'jobs for the boys' and people appointed on the basis of who they knew or where they had lunch."

Hit by scandals

He has also pledged to scrap a list of 7,000 names from whom appointees would be taken. He wants to encourage applications from more women and from members of ethnic minorities, both of which have been under-represented in public appointments.

Safeguards Needed

The role of quangos in Wales was a particular bugbear during the last Government, with allegations of patronage and high-profile failings in the accountability and internal management of some bodies.

Yet it is only a few high profile executive bodies which have given rise to that concern. In many areas, quangos may be of an advantage to the Assembly and the Executive, especially those operating in specialist fields or those which can give independent advice.

In the UK as a whole, Labour has declared its intention to do away with what it once described as "the unelected state". In the Queen's Speech, Tony Blair said: "Britain must change a situation in which unelected quangos spend more money than elected local government."

A discussion document on how democratic oversight of quangos could be improved is planned for the Autumn, and the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life has made recommendations for appointees. Estimates of the number of quangos in the UK vary from 1,200 to 6,000, depending on how the term is defined.

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