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QUANGOS
A report has claimed that many quangos are
"useless". But what is it these bodies aim to
do? The UK has 529 quangos, nominally independent,
government-funded agencies, all of which are named in a
critical new guide. Its author, Dan Lewis, claims many
could be closed without the public noticing, and
highlights what he calls the "nine most
useless" ones. But to give these organisations a
fair go, how do they describe their own functions?
BRITISH POTATO COUNCIL - "Our main
functions are to fund research and development, transfer
technology, collect and disseminate market information,
and to advertise and promote potatoes at home and in
export market."
MILK DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL - "To
advance the competitive position and enhance the
technical strengths of Great Britain's Dairy
Farmers" through funding "research and
development, economic research, nutritional and
educational advice, livestock improvement, the gathering
and publication of statistics, provision of dairy market
information and the generic promotion of milk and dairy
products. All of which are targeted at improving the
profitability and competitiveness of Great Britain's
dairy farmers".
THE ENERGY SAVINGS TRUST - its
"goal is to achieve the sustainable and efficient
use of energy, and to cut carbon dioxide emissions, one
of the key contributors to climate change".
AGRICULTURAL WAGES COMMITTEES - set up
to ensure that employers complied with the Agricultural
Wages Act 1948 and with minimum rates of pay and terms
and conditions of employment as determined by the
Agricultural Wages Board.
THE WINE STANDARDS BOARD -
"Enforces EU wine regulations in the UK and manages
the UK Vineyard Register." It does this by
"encouraging growers and traders to observe and
understand the laws on wine through advice and
education"; "carrying out a programme of
inspections, using risk analysis to deliver a
cost-effective and efficient service"; and
"identifying and dealing with breaches of the law
and present evidence for legal action in serious
cases".
WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY -
says it is "the UK's democracy-building
foundation". It "funds projects aimed at
building pluralist democratic institutions abroad, such
as human rights education; training for political
parties; parliamentary reporting workshops for
journalists; leadership training for women; support to
political NGOs; a newsletter discussing legal reform;
workshops on democratic values for trade unionists and
equipment for parliaments."
THE FOOTBALL LICENSING AUTHORITY -
"To ensure that all spectators regardless of age,
gender, ethnic origin, disability, or the team that they
support are able to attend sports grounds in safety,
comfort and security."
INVESTORS IN PEOPLE UK - "The
national standard which sets out a level of good practice
for training and development of people to achieve
business goals". The organisation says: "The
standard provides a national framework for improving
business performance and competitiveness, through a
planned approach to setting and communicating business
objectives and developing people to meet these
objectives. The result is, what people can and are
motivated to do matches what the organisation needs them
to do. Investors in People is cyclical and should
engender the culture of continuous improvement."
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL -
"The UK's leading research funding and training
agency addressing economic and social concerns. We aim to
provide high quality research on issues of importance to
business, the public sector and government. The issues
considered include economic competitiveness, the
effectiveness of public services and policy, and our
quality of life."
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