Quangos such as DVLA can be closed or merged during a major cost-cutting overhaul of public authorities commissioned by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Mr Rees-Mogg, the government’s efficiency minister, wrote to cabinet ministers warning that the price and number of quangos “continues to rise”.
He asked each secretary of state to provide a list of government bodies that could be merged or closed, including in cases where their functions “could be provided by non-state organizations”.
His intervention came ahead of a “public review program” to be launched this week to identify cost savings in individual quangos.
The finance ministry had previously told public authorities to cut spending by five per cent, but The Telegraph understands that the ministers involved in the review now want to increase it to between 10 and 20 per cent.
“Public bodies should exist only when there is an urgent need”
In his letter to the secretaries of state, Mr. Rees-Mogg wrote: “The necessary public bodies are an important mechanism for providing government. The cost and number of these bodies continue to increase.
“Public bodies must exist only when there is an urgent need, they must be accountable to parliament and be effective and efficient. Please review your public authorities for those that you believe could be provided by non-governmental organizations and are therefore closed.
“There are other bodies that have duplication of the types of services they provide, which often causes public confusion. These organizations could come together to create a more coherent service to the public, share best practices and reduce costs. “
He asked ministers to provide “a list of your public bodies sponsored by your department” and “your proposals to close and merge organs from that list” by June 24.
The move comes after Steve Barkley, Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, used an article in The Telegraph in February to promise that the government would take a “step back from people’s lives” as it sought to “restore more” small country ”after the Covid pandemic.
Mr Rees-Mogg said: “Taxpayers’ money must be spent efficiently and in useful areas. Then it is right to always look at public organizations and whether they provide for the British public. “
“Constantly writes to DVLA”
A Whitehall source said there had been a “complete failure” by the DVLA to “provide the public service for which it is intended”. The agency has been criticized for managing the huge backlog of license applications and renewals since the pandemic.
Last week, Mr. Reese-Mogg told Bristol Live that “I’m still constantly writing to DVLA on behalf of my constituents to get their driver’s licenses, and we know that DVLA just doesn’t work properly with people working from home. “It’s very unfair to my constituents.”
Concerns by lawmakers about tackling the public health pandemic in England led to its closure and replacement by the UK’s Health Security Agency last year.
The Taxpayers’ Alliance has called for the removal of little-known bodies such as the Civil Society and Youth Directorate and the Office of the Commissioner for Immigration Services.
The campaign group said High Speed 2 Ltd, the state-owned company building the HS2 railway, should be monitored by an independent commission after years of controversy over spiraling costs.
According to government figures, so-called “free bodies” such as the DVLA now spend more than £ 220 billion a year and employ more than 300,000 people.
Separately, Mr. Reese-Mogg has taken the initiative to end domestic culture work in the civil service.
On Saturday, Dave Penman, who heads the FDA’s civil service union, criticized a “rude and condescending” remark left by the cabinet minister in an empty government office that said: “I’m sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon. “
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