Five-year term for all new quangos?

Press, 27 June 1987, Page 34

Five-year term for all new quangos?

PA Wellington A proposal for a fiveyear sunset clause on all new quangos has been put forward by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Palmer. At the end of that period, an independent review would be made by the Treasury and the

State Services Commission “to determine if the rationale for those quangos still exists,” he said, just after a report was published saying the quango hunt appeared to have backfired. He announced he would recommend the restriction and review strategy to the Cabinet.

So far 47 quangos had been abolished and a further 44 were expected to be ended soon, Mr Palmer said.

The "Evening Post” reported one particular quango being axed only to return under another big-

ger guise. It was known as the Atomic Energy Committee and now an inter-depart-

mental working party on irradiation technology had been formed to produce a full report on the proposals for building an irradiation plant in Mangere, Auckland. Mr Palmer admitted no-one really knew just how many quangos existed.

His own estimate was that there were more than 3000 at present, including about 2500 school committees. The Cabinet office had compiled a list of those quangos known to the Government and its departments were now being told to conduct their own quango hunts.

The results of these would ”'be kept on a central register while the Treasury . and the State Service Commission

organised an ongoing review. "Quangos are a very hardy breed. No sooner is

one terminated than another reappears bearing a slightly altered title,” Mr Palmer said.