Dept of Foreign Investment to get the quangoes?

"We don't know where our £5bn foreign aid goes: Huge sum is paid out with almost no checks on how it is spent"

• Ministers urged to do more to safeguard billions a year given to agencies
• Officials make only two visits to inspect countries where UK does not have its own aid programme

By Jason Groves      25 July 2013 |

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2377087/We-dont-know-5bn-foreign-aid-goes-Huge-sum-paid-checks-spent.html

D.M. article based on this info:-

Multilateral Aid Review - International Development Committee Contents

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmintdev/349/34908.htm

Isn’t it terrible? 

A shocking headline, a worrying situation but, now that this disturbing information has been identified and is being addressed, the situation should improve in the future.   The civil servants concerned will get their knuckles rapped and have to pull their socks up.  Surely this is actually good news, isn’t it?  A possible wastage of tax-payers’ money has been identified, MPs and civil servants will now be on the case and, hopefully, this area of funding will become more accountable, efficient and economical in the future. 

How often these days though, are criticisms of mistakes, incompetence or neglect of duty, within Gov. Depts. or local authorities, used as an excuse to close down the Gov. Department concerned? Followed by an announcement that this task is now going to be placed in the hands of a trusty third sector set-up for the sake of efficiency and/or to save money!

I wonder if a third sector NGO is being moulded by Common Purpose or something like it, to take over the DoFI’s  work, and the responsibility for this huge sum? 

No, this situation, like all the others in the past such as the education, the MoD or NHS, is presented to the public as bad, the civil servants concerned, as hopeless and incompetent, all laced with hints at how “change” may be needed! 

When will we realise that it is much more difficult, if not impossible, to keep tabs on massive sums of money, or to moderate them, once the public sector is booted out and a third sector organisation takes over its responsibilities? 

How much harder will it be to track down this cash once the DoFI gets the quangoes?   Will it possible at all?  I doubt it!

Criticise the public sector if you must, but please be aware that the public sector is, at least, accountable under the Freedom of Info. Act 2000 (only been law since Jan. 2005) whereas the trendy solution, and popular alternative, of giving third sector NGOs huge responsibility like this is to put in charge a bunch of people who will NOT accountable under this Act! 

By the way, to whom are third sector organisations, charities, community projects, etc. accountable, and how?   Any ideas?  Seriously, how is the 3rd sector monitored, where is the public's right to know?