Thursday 20 May 2010

No more Government reviews - after these twenty-seven

I'm pretty sure that, prior to the election, all three leaders vowed to cut the amount of money wasted on "suits" and pen-pushers as well as quangos, advisors and consultants clogging up Whitehall.  Yet today sees the publication of the Government Programme Coalition Agreement document which includes TWENTY-SEVEN new commissions or reviews.  Banking, human rights, the affordability of public sector pensions, Lords reform, employment rights, control order laws, sentencing policy and the housing revenue account are just some of the subjects. 


There will be an autumn spending review aswell as reviews of stamp duty, legal aid, police officer employment, alcohol taxation, the Extradition Act, the renewal of Trident and the representation of Scottish MPs at Westminster.  Also sent for review are the control and use of funds of future receipts from the fossil fuel levy in Scotland, the future funding of long-term care, the taxation of non-domiciled residents, local government finance, higher education funding, support for part-time students in terms of loans and grants, the governance of national parks, a fair pay review in the public sector, the criminal records regime, family law, and vulture funds.  Not to mention the Office of Budget Responsibility.  The what?