This memorandum sets out good practice principles for use in
assessing proposals to make changes to arm’s length bodies. In
particular, the principles are intended to assist the Public
Administration Select Committee (PASC) and departmental select
committees in their consideration of business cases for creating,
merging or closing bodies. The memorandum is intended to help
ensure that decisions about making changes to arm’s length bodies
are well-informed and made on good value for money grounds.
The memorandum was submitted to PASC as part of its recent
inquiry into quangos. An edited version appeared as the appendix to
PASC’s January 2011 report, Smaller Government: Shrinking the
Quango State.
January 2011