Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill
10:47 am
Lord McKenzie: It is more difficult. A key part of the non-departmental public body is that it is has a non-executive board to lead the strategy and focus of the operation. That is much more difficult to do under an agency arrangement. There will be operational flexibility, which will allow the commissioning of the range of services that CMEC needs. Parliamentary scrutiny is still available. The NDPB will have to report on an annual basis, and the report will deal not only with its accounts, but with the extent to which it has contracted out its services. There will still be accountability through Ministers. There are processes for the new commission to be held fully to account through Select Committees and other routes. I do not believe that the engagement of MPs in that process will change substantially. We want to ensure that those links are strong and enshrined in the new arrangements, particularly with regard to the ability to follow up individual casework.