ALB, Arm’s Length Bodies, Public Bodies, Quangos, Public Servants, Civil Servants
Advisory bodies
128
Major projects and delivery bodies
64
Safety and licensing bodies
27
Cultural institutions
21
Justice and prosecutorial enforcers
24
Economic or sectoral regulators
15
Grant and subsidy issuing bodies
13
Research, innovation and development bodies
9
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
ALBs serve a broad range of functions. This section provides an overview of the purpose of ALBs by grouping them into nine categories, which were self-reported by ALBs. An ALB can belong to up to three categories and these are ranked in order of priority. However every ALB is unique, and these categories only provide a broad overview of the work that ALBs do.
90 bodies had more than one type of purpose in 2023/24. 77% of bodies in the landscape had either advisory or delivery and major programmes as their primary purpose.
9 ALBs primarily focussed on research and development or other kinds of innovation, whereas 18 performed it as either their secondary or tertiary function instead. There were 16 bodies who had a purpose that did not fit into one of the main categories, however no bodies had a primary purpose from the Other category.
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
116 Advisory NDPBs had an advisory purpose out of the 117 in the landscape. 82% of Executive Agencies worked on major programmes and delivery, and 41% had more than one purpose.
Executive NDPBs performed a wide range of functions. 35% did delivery and major programmes, % provided advice, 20% did safety, licensing and regulation and 20% had a cultural purpose.
Non-Ministerial Departments also had a wide range of purposes with 50% doing delivery and programmes, 30% are economic and sectoral regulators and 25% work on safety, licensing and regulation
Dot size indicates ALBs with larger workforces.
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
All departments except HMRC had ALBs that performed advisory functions and all except FSA had bodies that performed major programmes and delivery for them. In particular, the FSA, MOJ and FC ALBs’ focus was majoritively dedicated to advice and for OSSS, HMT and HMRC it was on delivery and programmes.
ALBs under DCMS and DEFRA had the broadest range of purposes spanning 8 and 8 categories respectively. Only 4 departments had ALBs that served a cultural purpose and that was the least common category across department out of all purposes.
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
There were 120 bodies who performed advisory functions but served no other purpose. 40% of bodies who primarily worked on delivery and major programmes also had another purpose. Out of the bodies that had a primary purpose of safety, licensing and regulation, 19% of them had a secondary purpose that did not fit into the main purpose categories.
You can explore the full structure of the purpose of ALBs by clicking on the boxes. The first layer that you see is their primary purpose, the second is their secondary and the third their tertiary.
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
Cabinet Office | ALB Landscape Analysis 2023-24
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