The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced today that 19 of its 55 public bodies are being abolished or reformed, while the Government has decided not to proceed with a merger of heritage and architecture bodies in this Bill, and DCMS has asked English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, as a matter of urgency, to identify and reduce any overlap of activities.
Any future decision on changes which require legislation would be considered at a later date.
Today’s announcement follows on from proposals set out by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt in July this year. Mr Hunt also confirmed today that:
* the UK Film Council will be abolished, although Lottery funding and Government support for film will continue;
* the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and the Advisory Council on Libraries will be abolished;
* UK Sport and Sport England will be merged to create a more unified, coherent and cost-effective structure as part of the Government’s 2012 Olympic Games legacy plans. DCMS is also working with the Youth Sport Trust to explore how they could be brought into the new structure;
* the National Lottery Commission will be merged with the Gambling Commission;
* the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites will be abolished and the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships will be declassified;
* the Theatres Trust will be declassified so it can act independently;
* the Olympic Lottery Distributor and the Olympic Delivery Authority will be wound up, as planned, in 2013 and 2014 respectively; and
* the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel has now been abolished.
The national museums and galleries will remain under the sponsorship of DCMS.
DCMS News: LINK
See table below for changes to DCMS Public Bodies
| Public Body | Proposed reforms | |
| 1 | Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites | No Longer an NDPB – Abolish body and transfer functions in relation to England to English Heritage. As previously announced. |
| 2 | Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships | No Longer an NDPB – Declassify and transfer functions. As previously announced. |
| 3 | Advisory Committee on the Government Art Collection | No Longer an NDPB – Declassify and reconstitute as a committee of experts |
| 4 | Advisory Council on Libraries | No Longer an NDPB – Abolish body and functions. As previously announced |
| 5 | Arts Council England | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a function which requires political impartiality |
| 6 | BBC | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 7 | Big Lottery Fund | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a function which requires political impartiality. Move policy responsibility to Cabinet Office |
| 8 | British Library | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 9 | Channel 4 | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 10 | Churches Conservation Trust | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 11 | Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment | Under Consideration – Still considering the options for reform |
| 12 | English Heritage | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 13 | Football Licensing Authority | No longer an NDPB – Abolish the current NDPB and transfer expertise and functions to another body |
| 14 | Gambling Commission | Merge – Merge with National Lottery Commission, as previously announced |
| 15 | Historic Royal Palaces | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 16 | Horserace Betting Levy Appeal Tribunal | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 17 | Horserace Betting Levy Board | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government. Modify functions to remove Secretary of State’s role in determining the levy. |
| 18 | Horserace Totalisator Board | No longer an NDPB – Declassify and transfer from public ownership |
| 19 | Legal Deposit Advisory Panel | No longer an NDPB – Abolish body and functions, as previously announced. |
| 20 | British Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 21 | Horniman Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 22 | Geffrye Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 23 | Imperial War Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 24 | Museum of Science and Industry Manchester | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 25 | National Gallery | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 26 | National Maritime Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 27 | National Museum of Science and Industry | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 28 | National Museums Liverpool | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 29 | National Portrait Gallery | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 30 | Natural History Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 31 | Royal Armouries | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 32 | Sir John Soane’s Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 33 | Victoria & Albert Museum | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 34 | Wallace Collection | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 35 | Tate Gallery | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 36 | Museums, Libraries and Archives Council | No longer an NDPB – Abolish body and transfer functions, as previously announced. |
| 37 | National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 38 | National Lottery Commission | Merge – Merge with Gambling Commission, as previously announced |
| >39 | Olympic Delivery Authority | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government. To be wound up as planned by March 2014. As previously announced |
| 40 | Olympic Lottery Distributor | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a function which requires political impartiality. To be wound up as planned by March 2013. As previously announced |
| 41 | Public Lending Right | No longer an NDPB – Abolish the current NDPB and transfer functions |
| 42 | Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 43 | S4C | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government. Amend current RPI/funding link. |
| 44 | Sport England | Merge – Merge with UK Sport, as previously announced |
| 45 | The Theatres Trust | No longer an NDPB – Continue as a charity, as previously announced |
| 46 | Treasure Valuation Committee | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| >47 | UK Anti Doping | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which requires impartiality |
| 48 | UK Film Council | No longer an NDPB – Abolish body and transfer functions, as previously announced. |
| 49 | UK Sport | Merge – Merge with Sport England, as previously announced |
| 50 | Visit Britain | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government |
| 51 | Visit England | Retain – Retain on grounds of performing a technical function which should remain independent from Government. Modify constitution to increase representation of destinations on Visit England Board |
| 52 | OFCOM | Merge – Merge the postal services regulator, Postcomm, will be merged into Ofcom. Several Ofcom duties will be removed or modified |
| 53 | The Design Council | Out of scope for DCMS – this is jointly sponsored with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) – see BIS list for details |
| 54 | The Royal Household | Out of scope (due to Constitutional status) |
| 55 | The Royal Parks | Out of scope (an Executive Agency) |
