The government has today published the draft version of the Public Bodies Bill, which it needs to enable it to carry out its plans for large reform of government quangos.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude (pictured) set out plans earlier this month to scrap 192 quangos and reforming a further 289 bodies. The new bill, which has gone to the House of Lords for a first reading today, includes plans to create the framework to allow government departments to overhaul quangos and would give ministers the ability to abolish or merge bodies.

The bill also aims to give secretaries of states the powers to take forward changes to their quangos in secondary legislation if they need to.

Maude said the Public Bodies Bill showed the government wants to act quickly to abolish unnecessary bodies.

“Today’s Bill shows we are ready to make thse changes quickly. We believe the responsibility for difficult and important decisions should lie with ministers, not unelected quango officials, and we plan to implement the changes as rapidly as possible.”

Here is the full bill: Public Bodies Bill – 29 October 2010

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