By David Scott in Edinburgh
05 June 2009
The Scottish Government is on track to cut the number of quangos by at least 25% and streamline the scrutiny of public bodies, Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced.
He claimed that action to improve public services and reduce the number of public bodies should save at least £40m a year.
Swinney’s plans to abolish and merge public sector organisations are outlined in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill and in a document explaining the Scottish Government’s ‘simplification programme’, published on May 29.
Swinney said: ‘This government is acting to make our public services simpler, sharper, better co-ordinated and more responsive – all the more crucial if we are to support Scotland’s economic recovery.
‘We are on track to exceed our target to reduce the number of bodies by 25%, making the improvements and saving the money that people rightly demand. The Public Services Reform Bill is another important milestone.’
Labour, the main opposition party in the Scottish Parliament, described First Minister Alex Salmond’s so-called ‘bonfire of the quangos’ as a ‘damp squib’. Finance spokesman Andy Kerr claimed the changes proposed would save the taxpayer a little more than £3m.
According to the Scottish Government figures, the number of public bodies has already been cut from 199 to 162. The planned Bill further reduces that number to around 120 by 2011.
Quangos due to be abolished include advisory councils on building standards, records, industrial development and historic environment. The Deer Commission for Scotland and an advisory committee on sites of special scientific interest will be transferred to Scottish Natural Heritage.
As already announced, the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen are being merged to form a new body, Creative Scotland.
The Scottish Government estimates that public sector reforms already carried out will save taxpayers £127m between 2008 and 2013, with projected savings of £36m in each subsequent year.
Under the proposals, there will also be a reduction of six (27%) in the number of government-supported scrutiny bodies.
