17 October 2003
Northern Ireland's Review of Public Administration, published this week, has described five options for how the province's public services can be provided in the future.
These include the existing system under which unelected quangos are responsible for 56% of devolved expenditure. The alternatives are the direct delivery of more public services by the Northern Ireland Executive, operating through regional offices; the use of regional and sub-regional offices to deliver a range of services; the status quo, but with some additional services transferred to local government; or the transfer of responsibility for almost all major services to local authorities.
No preferred model is outlined and responses are requested as part of the ongoing consultation.
The report's publication follows closely on comments made by Northern Ireland minister Ian Pearson to Public Finance that he would ask the review team to speed up their work.
Services that are the responsibility of quangos include education, libraries, health and social services.
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