Regional Development Agencies: don't look too closely

Quangos - non-departmental Government bodies - have a combined spending of £123 billion a year, or approximately 21 per cent of public spending, according to a new report. They also have considerable influence over the formulation and implementation of Government policy, particularly at a regional level.

Yet few MPs know what they actually do.

All making this exchange - reported by Matt Chorley on the Western Morning News - particularly galling for some members of Parliament. He reveals one of the south west's biggest quangos, the South West Regional Assembly, has written to the House of Commons asking them to ditch plans for powerful regional select committees to examine the activities of the South West Regional Development Agency. The area's local councillors - who benefit from the RDA's work - want to keep scrutiny for themselves and not let outsiders interfere.

In evidence to Harriet Harman, the Commons Leader, the Assembly said: "Given the pressures on MPs' time, we believe the adoption of a grand committee-style of regional select committee may be the best way forward for the South West. This approach would also enable a wide range of MPs to participate in the committee and help ensure that the committee is more politically representative of the region it serves."

Their concern for MPs' time is touching.

"Select committee" = Around 10 MPs deciding which areas of policy to investigate on behalf of the region, hauling officials in front of them and writing reports.

"Grand committee" = Grouping of all MPs in the region which "would not directly involve individuals from RDAs or other regional and sub-regional bodies", according to Commons officials. They are blocked from taking evidence, writing reports or calling for changes in Government policy.

Comments

[Chuck Unsworth]

Yes, the RDAs know they've been rumbled. Long overdue, of course, but now Brown is skint and has blown our cash on other garbage they're going to have to suffer. Bring it on, I say. They've been nothing but regionalised jobs for the boys and girls. Their net contribution has been pretty minimal.

Next up, NHS Trusts and Education.

[David Boothroyd]

It is quite bizarre to see the English reaction to regional government. Far from being a novelty, England has had regional bodies for as long as there has been an England, but without any direct input from the people. It's odd how easily people fall into the error of assuming that a tier of government only exists when it has an elected body in charge of it.

The regional assemblies at present simply comprise delegates from the councils in their area, and there is a great opposition to directly electing them. Some have called for the assemblies to be scrapped entirely, which would leave neither political input nor scrutiny of regional government by the regions themselves.