UK: Cabinet Office And Moj Get Going With Public Bodies Act Implementation

This is entry No.50, first published on 15 December 2011, of a blog on public bodies reform. Click here to view the whole blog. If you would like to be notified when the blog is updated, with links sent by email, click here.

Whilst the House of Commons never quite got to the procedural motion it was to consider yesterday on parliamentary procedure under the Act (evidently there is a deficiency in the motion as tabled and further time is needed to liaise with the chair of the Liaison Committee and others), the Cabinet Office and the MoJ have made a cracking start following Royal Assent earlier this week.

Francis Maude has placed in the Library of the House of Commons an updated list of proposals for the reform of public bodies and guidance to support the programme, including confirming the 31 bodies subject to the first year of the triennial review cycle now commencing

Meanwhile Ken Clarke has laid before Parliament a public consultation response document entitled: "Response to Consultation on reforms proposed in the Public Bodies Bill-Reforming the public bodies of the Ministry of Justice". This confirms the intention to abolish the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council, Courts Boards, the Crown Court Rule Committee, HM Inspectorate of Courts Administration., the Magistrates' Courts Rule Committee and the Public Guardian Board and to merge four bodies (The Public Records Office, HMSO, The Keeper of Public Records and the Advisory Council on Public Records). It also confirms that the Government is not now going to pursue the abolition of the Youth Justices Board but will bring forward new proposals for reform of youth justice and will also announce in the new year further details of the timetable for implementation of the office of Chief Coroner. Evidently, the orders under the new Act to give effect to these announcements will be laid early in the new year.

Links to the documents referred to in this blog should be available on the Parliament and/or Cabinet Office and MoJ websites in due course.

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