Quangos are, reputedly, the weakest area of government, but among the big spenders. One of the reason behind this view is their low visibility, which breeds suspicion. The Government’s approach to re-inventing government in quangoland has now become clear with the publication of the Scottish and Welsh Devolution White Papers and the statement by Dr David Clark, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on unelected public bodies.Reform of the quango structure is top of the reform agenda. In Wales, for example, it has been decided to abolish nine quangos and merge three more. It is proposed that the Welsh Assembly will have the right to review and restructure most of the remaining bodies. It will also have the power to transfer functions to local authorities. A key aspect of the role of the proposed Scottish Parliament will be to maintain an effective oversight of the Scottish public bodies with similar powers to the Welsh Assembly.

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