Oral Question·Cabinet Office
“What progress she has made on the review of arm's length bodies.”
Tabled: 3 September 2026Answered: 10 September 2026
Asked by
Mr Peter Bedford
Conservative — Mid Leicestershire
Answering Minister
the Minister for the Cabinet Office
Answer from Hansard
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mark Ferguson)
The Government have reviewed all 306 active arm’s length bodies, and we have commitments to reform over a third of them, but we will go further. Devolution by default means that we will transfer functions of arm’s length bodies to local leaders or return them to Departments, because all critical decisions should be taken by Ministers who are directly accountable to Parliament and the public.