Government abolishes intellectual property and WEEE quangos

Vince Cable said that the moves will cut the burden on the taxpayer

Business secretary Vince Cable is to scrap the public bodies responsible for intellectual property policy and the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling directive.

The Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP) and the WEEE Advisory Body will close in the next year, along with two other non-technology related quangos.

The functions of SABIP will pass to the Intellectual Property Office, while the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) will absorb the functions carried out by the remaining organisations.

"By bringing these functions back into government we make their activities more accountable and can reduce the considerable administrative costs that they place on the taxpayer," said Cable.

The latest cuts mean that 17 quangos have been abolished, merged or strangled of further funding under the new government.

These have included organisations dealing with green technology investment, regional industrial development, and learning and skills training.

Cable's final cuts are expected to be announced in the autumn.