Government Axes WEEE Quangos and Closes Intellectual Property
It has been announced that the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment’s (WEEE) advisory body and the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SAPIB) will be closed. This is part of the plan from Whitehall to cut the number of public bodies.
Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, says that he has already said that he wants to cut the number of these bodies by 33%, and this is the latest phase of that. By bringing functions back into the government, he continued, they make their activities more accountable. They will also be able to reduce the considerable administrative costs that the taxpayer has been burdened with, he added.
However, a spokesperson for Wast Watch, a waste charity that has a representative in the WEEE advisory board, is surprised about the news. They said that they haven’t heard about this.
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) is set to take over the functions of the WEEE advisory board, which was established in December of 2007. It’s closure is set to save about £10,000 per year. The functions of the SABIP, which was founded in June of 2008, will be transferred to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). This move is due to save about £300,000 per year.
Cable also announced that the Simplifying International Trade (SITPRO) will be closed, along with the British Shipbuilders Corporation. This will take the total number of public bodies that are set to close to 17, so far. In May, the government closed 13 bodies, which included the Learning & Skills Improvement Service and the Institute for Learning. It’s expected that more cuts will be announced in the Spending Review this fall, which are set to be Cable’s final cuts.
Recycle your old stuff!