19 May 2006
Ministers in the Scottish Executive are planning to carry out an investigation into the increasing number of bodies that scrutinise the public sector.
In a written submission to the Scottish Parliament's finance committee this week, permanent secretary John Elvidge said ministers were considering establishing a review of regulation.
He said: 'Any review would focus on whether there are any potential overlaps in remits and responsibilities of the various regulatory and investigatory bodies.'
The finance committee is conducting its own accountability and governance inquiry. The Executive's planned review follows auditor general Bob Black's recent call for a fundamental review of the system of scrutinising public services.
Black told the finance committee this week: 'There has been a huge amount of development within the scrutiny arena over the past two years, and I believe there is a strong case for looking at these issues to see if we can find ways of working more effectively together.'
PFmay2006
