Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office Public Bodies Team has assessed the Ethics and Integrity Commission against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's-length body should only be considered as a last resort; and whether his Department has provided evidence that alternative delivery models are being considered.

Any proposals to create new public bodies will be considered by the government’s ongoing review of all ALBs, announced on 7 April. This review is part of the government’s plan to streamline the state by closing, merging or repatriating public bodies into departments unless their separate existence can be strongly justified.