Quangos must justify their existence every five years

Government quangos will now have to justify their existence every five years to avoid abolition due to a new “sunset clause”.

The new code of practice for state bodies provides for the first time that the functions and usefulness of each quango will have to be examined by its parent department.

This requirement will apply to hundreds of bodies such as the Residential Tenancies Board, the Private Security Authority, the Irish Film Board, ...