Departments studied

Press, 18 April 1979, Page 10

Departments studied

Government departments! are being studied for] efficiency and effectiveness ■ by their Ministers and ai departmental’ committee. The scrutiny includes a. look at Government regula-i tions and acts, which a, Labour Party "task force” isj also studying with the aim oil cutting out red tape and' obsolete regulations. Cabinet Ministers were asked in December to review all programmes undertaken by their departments to ensure that there was no conflict within the department or between departments. They will particularly review the effectiveness of the programmes. The Minister of Housing (Mr Quigley) said there was a feeling among Ministers that no progress would be made on new policies until “we clear up the past a bit.” A similar attitude under-

.dies the Labour Party’s ■i “Operation Red Tape.” Eight >; Labour members of Parlia- . iment have been formed into a task force, and have i! written to about 300 persons ■ and organisations, according ii to the convener (Mrs Ann ■; Hercus). , The organisations ranged 11 from the Manufacturers’ Federation to the National : Council of Women. Mrs Her- ■ cus said. The group was i also inviting comment from ■ members of the public on ■ their “pet red-tape hate.” The group includes Messrs ’ R. J. Tizard, J. A. Walding, : D. R. Lange, R. W. Prebble, • S. J. Rodger, J. J. Terris, and F. D. O’Flynn. It will take ; comments until about July > and will produce a public re- ; port near the end of the year, i “Pet hates” would be looked I into while the material was ’ being compiled, said Mrs ■ Hercus.