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Dept for Education and Employment

Answer

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens' charter. [20945] Mr. Robin Squire: [holding answer 19 March 1997]: The information requested is shown in the following table. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Name of body Parliamentary Audit Commission National Audit Open Government Performance Citizen's Commissioner for Office Indicators Charter{1} Administration Centre for Information No No Yes No Yes Yes on Language Teaching and Research Construction Industry Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Training Board Education Assets Board Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Engineering Construction Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Industry Training Board Equal Opportunities Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Commission Funding Agency for No No Yes No Yes Yes Schools Further Education No No Yes No Yes Yes Funding Council for England Higher Education Funding No No Yes No Yes Yes Council for England Investors in People UK {2}No No Yes No Yes Yes National Council for No No Yes No Yes Yes Educational Technology National Council for {2}No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Vocational Qualifications Remploy Ltd. No No Yes No Yes No School Curriculum and No No Yes No Yes Yes Assessment Authority Student Loans Company No No Yes No Yes Yes Teacher Training Agency No No Yes No Yes Yes _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Whilst none of the Department's NDPBs is required to apply for a Charter Mark, the Department does encourage all executive NDPBs which provide a public service to operate according to Citizen's Charter principles. {2} In previous responses to this question on 22 February 1996 and 25 April 1995, the Department stated that both NCVQ and IIP UK were subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration. The Commissioner's Office has taken the view, in particular cases in the past, that these bodies could be considered to be acting "on behalf of" the Department (which is subject to investigation by the Commissioner) and that therefore (under Section 5 of the 1967 Parliamentary Commissioner Act) those actions were subject to investigation by the Commissioner. However, the formal mechanism for bringing bodies within the jurisdiction of the Commissioner is by Order in Council amending Schedule 2 to the Act. No such Order has been made in respect of NCVQ or IIP UK, so as bodies themselves, they are not formally subject to investigation by the Commissioner. The Government has, however, made a commitment formally to bring all executive NDPBs within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, unless there are valid reasons, specific to the particular circumstances of the body, for excluding it.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

20945; 292 c876W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Accountability Audit Commission Citizen's Charter Freedom of information Government departments Non-departmental public bodies Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration National Audit Office Standards Department for Education and Employment