27 health quangos cut or ‘reconstituted’
pharmafile | October 18, 2010 | News story | | NHS, government
The coalition government’s review of its health advisory bodies won’t end with the abolition of 10 healthcare quangos, among them the Health Protection Agency and the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, that was announced in July.
A further 17 are to be ‘reconstituted’, with some joining other “arm’s length bodies” and others seeing their official status changed to that of a ‘committee of experts’.
The Department said the status change would preserve the bodies’ independent expert advice, but reduce their associated level of administration.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “[The] changes continue our work to increase the accountability and transparency of public services, as well as ensuring that the advisory mechanisms we have are fit for purpose.
“The bodies who provide essential independent advice to the department will continue to do so, but they will be streamlined and made more accountable so that they operate in the most cost effective way.
“We will continue to support the organisations involved through this period of transition, ensuring we continue to get the highest quality independent advice from experts to inform policy decisions.”
The Department of Health’s review of health quangos was part of a cross-government review reduce their number and cost while increasing the “transparency and accountability” of public services.
One outcome from the review will see a new regulator for research created to take on functions of existing bodies, including the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA).
UK biotech industry association the BIA said the move was a step in the right direction towards streamlining the regulatory review processes.
Alan Morrison, chair of the BIA’s regulatory affairs advisory committee, said: “The creation of such a UK-wide research regulator should promote the competitiveness and attractiveness of the UK to companies looking to invest in R&D.
“A single regulator could also benefit smaller companies by providing a more efficient, transparent and predictable regime.
“Additionally, it is important to have a true parallel approach to the regulatory and ethics approval process with appropriate allocation of responsibilities and good communication as is currently the case between MHRA and NRES.”
The changes to the arms length bodies will take place between 2012 and 2014.
Ben Adams
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