'Reduce Size Of Government' Says Report

The number of UK government ministers should be cut by a third, a Parliamentary committee has said.

Its recommendations would see a radical reduction in the state's payroll.

There are 119 minister working in the Government, in addition to many more operating within devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Public Administration Select Committee said it is sceptical about claims that this reflects the growing complexity of government.

In 1950 the Government managed to create the welfare state, undertake major nationalisations as well as administering the British Empire with only 81 ministers.

Committee members cited the Indian national government, which runs a country of over a billion people with only 78 ministers.

It also expressed concern about the size of the 'payroll vote' in the House of Commons, which now comprises nearly 40% of the governing Parliamentary Party.

The Committee recommended the number of ministers be cut by around one third.

It also called for steps to close the loop-hole whereby unpaid ministers do not count against some statutory limits on the numbers of ministers.

The number of Parliamentary Private Secretaries should be reduced by restricting them to one for each Department or Cabinet Ministers and abolishing Parliamentary Assistants to Regional Ministers, a report said.

The Chair of the Committee, Dr Tony Wright MP, said some junior ministers do important and difficult jobs.

"However, there are too many and it is absurd that civil servants should be having to make work for those who are underemployed."

He continued: "The size of the payroll vote is excessive and reduces effective scrutiny of government decisions."

"It cannot be the case that the United Kingdom needs more ministers at a national level than India, a country twenty times its size"

(PR/BMcC)