In the United Kingdom , non-departmental public body ( NDPB ) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office , Treasury , the Scottish Government , and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of national government but are not part of a government department. NDPBs carry out their work largely independently from ministers and are accountable to the public through Parliament ; however, ministers are responsible for the independence, effectiveness, and efficiency of non-departmental public bodies in their portfolio.
39-601: The UK Film Council ( UKFC ) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport , and governed by a board of 15 directors . It was funded from various sources including The National Lottery . John Woodward was the Chief Executive Officer of
78-590: A bonfire of the Quangos , Woodward said that the decision had been taken with "no notice and no consultation". UKFC closed on 31 March 2011, with many of its functions passing to the British Film Institute . In 1999, Alan Parker was appointed as the chairman of the Film Council, with Stewart Till as the vice-chairman. Till became chairman after Parker left. In its own words, the aim of
117-674: A non-ministerial government department being at a remove from both ministers and any elected assembly or parliament. Typically an NDPB would be established under statute and be accountable to Parliament rather than to His Majesty's Government . This arrangement allows more financial independence since the government is obliged to provide funding to meet statutory obligations. NDPBs are sometimes referred to as quangos . However, this term originally referred to quasi-NGOs bodies that are, at least ostensibly, non-government organisations , but nonetheless perform governmental functions. The backronym "quasi-autonomous national government organization"
156-424: A 34% share of net profits, a valuable stake which passed to the British Film Institute . Non-departmental public body The term includes the four types of NDPB (executive, advisory, tribunal, and independent monitoring boards) but excludes public corporations and public broadcasters ( BBC , Channel 4 , and S4C ). The UK Government classifies bodies into four main types. The Scottish Government also has
195-581: A bigger and better future for the film industry in the UK. As the first-ever comprehensive training strategy for the British film industry, it was launched in September 2003. First Light , a digital short filmmaking scheme that offered children and young people more opportunities to participate in and learn about filmmaking. FILMCLUB , free to all state after school programmes in England, FILMCLUB opened
234-407: A feature film or who had not yet had a feature film released theatrically or broadcast on UK television. Awards were made up to £25,000. The fund also offered Signature Awards to help further encourage ambitious and original filmmakers and projects. Funded films included Jane Campion 's Bright Star ; Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold 's second feature Fish Tank ; Armando Iannucci 's In
273-409: A few continued to operate, most notably Film London and Screen Yorkshire. The nine agencies were or are: Regional Screen Agencies have cultural, economic and social objectives. They engage with other regional partners and to involve stakeholders including local film and television producers , broadcasters , games developers , museums and other cultural organisations. Each agency has interpreted
312-400: A fifth category: NHS bodies . These bodies consist of boards which advise ministers on particular policy areas. They are often supported by a small secretariat from the parent department, and any expenditure is paid for by that department. These bodies usually deliver a particular public service and are overseen by a board rather than ministers. Appointments are made by ministers following
351-502: A review of the film infrastructure in England during 2000, the UK Film Council set up nine Regional Screen Agencies , one in each of the regions of England , to deliver support for film-making, exhibition and related media activities. The regional screen agency network was closed down in 2011, with a number of services consolidated into a new agency, Creative England , and the majority of screen agencies then folded. However,
390-565: A £500,000 fund to help expand the activities of film clubs, societies community groups and mobile film exhibitors in order to improve viewing opportunities for audiences in rural areas across the UK that might not be able to support a full-time cinema. The Digital Screen Network (set up in 2005 by the UK Film Council and the Arts Council England) – a £12 million investment to equip 240 screens in 210 cinemas across
429-516: Is used in this usage which is normally pejorative. In March 2009 there were nearly 800 public bodies that were sponsored by the UK Government. This total included 198 executive NDPBs, 410 advisory bodies, 33 tribunals, 21 public corporations, the Bank of England , 2 public broadcasting authorities and 23 NHS bodies. However, the classification is conservative and does not include bodies that are
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#1732765670993468-644: The Conservatives' complacency in power in the 1990s, presented much material interpreted as evidence of questionable government practices. This concern led to the formation of a Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee) which first reported in 1995 and recommended the creation of a "public appointments commissioner" to make sure that appropriate standards were met in the appointment of members of NDPBs. The Government accepted
507-554: The British Film Commissioner worked to ensure that the UK remained an attractive production base for international films. Activities included: encouraging and supporting international films being made in the UK; strengthening the UK's production infrastructure; promoting UK talent and product around the world; working with the UK's Government to ensure that film friendly policies were in place; and reviewing and developing international co-production treaties, allowing
546-647: The Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments . They employ their own staff and allocate their own budgets. These bodies have jurisdiction over an area of the law . They are coordinated by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service , an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice , and supervised by the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council , itself an NDPB sponsored by
585-550: The Film Agency for Wales (now Ffilm Cymru Wales). The UKFC also part-funded the British Film Institute which champions moving image culture, education and cinema heritage to benefit as wide an audience as possible and aims to deepen and encourage public debate about film. The BFI was responsible for delivering that part of the UKFC's strategy "to help UK audiences enjoy the best of British and world cinema" . On 26 July 2010 it
624-545: The Humber ) and South West Screen ( South West England ). All of them, excluding Film London and Screen Yorkshire, were merged into Creative England as a result of the dissolution of the UKFC in 2010. It also funded three national screen agencies responsible for developing film, television and broadcast new media in other British countries: Scottish Screen (now Creative Scotland /Screen Scotland), Northern Ireland Film & Television Commission (now Northern Ireland Screen) and
663-667: The Loop (Sundance 2009); Jane Campion's Bright Star ; Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank ; Dominic Murphy 's White Lightnin' (Berlin and Sundance Film Festivals 2009); Sally Potter 's Rage (Berlin Competition 2009); Noel Clarke 's Adulthood ( BAFTA Rising Star ); Ken Loach 's The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Cannes, Palme d'Or ); Shane Meadows 's This is England (BAFTA, Best British Film); Kevin Macdonald 's Touching
702-411: The Loop ; and Sam Taylor Wood 's Nowhere Boy , written by Matt Greenhalgh . The New Cinema Fund supported emerging talent and established filmmakers working outside the mainstream, focusing on innovative writing and gifted directors. The fund had £15 million of Lottery money to invest over three years and funded eight to ten feature films each year. It had a commitment to supporting work from
741-556: The Ministry of Justice. These bodies were formerly known as "boards of visitors" and are responsible for the state of prisons, their administration, and the treatment of prisoners. The Home Office is responsible for their costs and has to note all expenses. NDPB differ from executive agencies as they are not created to carry out ministerial orders or policy, instead they are more or less self-determining and enjoy greater independence. They are also not directly part of government like
780-544: The UK Film Council was administered by the regional screen agencies and the national screen agencies via the Digital Shorts Scheme and Digital Nation (formerly known as Digital Shorts Plus). Features produced by the UKFC New Cinema Fund had an average Metacritic score of over 65. Films supported by the fund included James Marsh 's Oscar-winning Man on Wire ; Armando Iannucci 's In
819-655: The UK to collaborate with other countries to make films. The UK Film Council's Distribution and Exhibition Department worked to make non-mainstream films more widely available to cinema audiences in the UK through the following schemes: The Prints and Advertising Fund – provided £2 million per year to help UK distributors produce extra prints of non-mainstream or more commercially focused British films, or to publicise films more effectively through advertising and other channels. The Cinema Access Programme (launched in 2003) – provided £350,000 to help cinemas purchase subtitling and audio-description technologies that improve
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#1732765670993858-534: The UK with digital projection technology to give UK audiences much greater choice. Capital funding – the Small Capital Fund (2006) provided £800,000 to help smaller cinemas meet the costs of essential building refurbishments and other improvements such as disabled access; and the Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas (2007) provided £500,000 to help cinemas upgrade their equipment and premises to improve
897-582: The UK's Conservative-Liberal coalition published a review of NDPBs recommending closure or merger of nearly two hundred bodies, and the transfer of others to the private sector. This process was colloquially termed the "bonfire of the quangos". NDPBs are classified under code S.13112 of the European System of Accounts (ESA.95). However, Statistics UK does not break out the detail for these bodies and they are consolidated into General Government (S.1311). Regional screen agencies Following
936-675: The UK. With £12 million of Lottery funding to invest over three years, the fund aimed to build a talent-driven home for writers, directors and producers. It helped filmmakers of all experience levels develop their ideas and screenplays into viable feature films, be they fiction, documentary or animation, up until the moment they were ready to get production finance. There were two funding programmes, one for first-time feature filmmakers and one for established filmmakers. The First Feature Film Development Programme aimed to identify and support emerging filmmakers (e.g. screenwriters, writer/directors and writer, director, producer teams) who had not made
975-475: The UK. According to the Cabinet Office their total expenditure for the financial year 2005–06 was £167 billion. As of March 2020, there were 237 non-departmental public bodies. Critics argued that the system was open to abuse as most NDPBs had their members directly appointed by government ministers without an election or consultation with the people. The press , critical of what was perceived as
1014-403: The UKFC was: To stimulate a competitive, successful and vibrant UK film industry and culture, and to promote the widest possible enjoyment and understanding of cinema throughout the nations and regions of the UK. The UKFC administered and funded a range of different activities, including: The Development Fund aimed to broaden the quality, range and ambition of film projects being developed in
1053-447: The UKFC. In June 2008, the company had 90 full-time members of staff. It distributed more than £160m of lottery money to over 900 films. Lord Puttnam described the council as "a layer of strategic glue that's helped bind the many parts of our disparate industry together." On 26 July 2010, the government announced that the council would be abolished. Although one of the parties elected into that government had, for some months, promised
1092-519: The Void (BAFTA, Best British Film); Andrea Arnold's Red Road (Cannes, Jury Prize); Paul Andrew Williams 's London to Brighton ( Edinburgh International Film Festival , Best New Director); Alexis Dos Santos 's Unmade Beds (also at Berlin and Sundance 2009); and Duane Hopkins 's Better Things (Cannes, Critics' Week). The Premiere Fund invested £8 million of Lottery funding per year into mainstream, commercially driven films encouraging
1131-406: The brief from the UK Film Council in its own way. Typically, this focusses on the provision of operational activities such training schemes, administration of funding for activities such as film festivals and film education , and the operation of investment funds and local services designed to make a region an attractive place for film-makers to bring inward investment . This article related to
1170-415: The cinema-going experience for audiences. FindAnyFilm.com' – the film search engine which told users when, where and how a film is available in the UK, legally and across all formats and platforms – cinema, TV, DVD & Blu-ray sale or rental, or download. The UKFC also funded: The Skillset Film Skills Fund which ensured a supply of skilled professionals in line with market demand and aims to build
1209-483: The cinema-going experience for people with hearing and sight impairments. The programme also provided funds to YourLocalCinema.com, the film listings website of choice for film-goers with sensory impairments, and the Film Print Provision strand, an ongoing funding initiative that helps distributors produce fully accessible film prints. The Digital Fund for Non Theatrical Exhibition (launched in 2004) –
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1248-423: The closure of the UK Film Council on 31 March 2011, The Guardian reported that "The UKFC's entire annual budget was a reported £3m, while the cost of closing it down and restructuring is estimated to have been almost four times that amount." One of the UKFC's last films, The King's Speech , is estimated to have cost $ 15m to make and grossed $ 235m, besides winning several Academy Awards . UKFC invested $ 1.6m for
1287-556: The decision to close the council. Eastwood warned Osborne that the closure could result in fewer foreign production companies choosing to work in the UK. A grass-roots online campaign was launched and a petition established by supporters of the council. Countering this, a few professionals including Michael Winner , Julian Fellowes and Chris Atkins supported the Government's decision. A number of other organisations such as Save The British Film Industry responded positively. At
1326-667: The involvement of British creative talent in a range of films that attracted international audiences. Funded films included Mike Leigh 's award-winning Happy-Go-Lucky ; Oliver Gerald McMorrow's Franklyn ; Christopher Smith's Triangle ; Oliver Parker 's Dorian Gray ; Stephen Frears 's Cheri ; Bob Weide 's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ; Anand Tucker 's And When Did You Last See Your Father? ; Julian Jarrold 's Brideshead Revisited ; Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson's St Trinian's ; Rupert Wyatt's The Escapist ; Roger Michell's Venus ; Vito Rocco's Faintheart ; and Gabor Csupo's The Secret of Moonacre . The Office of
1365-638: The nations and regions, from black, Asian and other minority ethnic filmmakers and encouraged the use of digital technology in the production, distribution and exhibition of films. It also supported over 100 short films each year through its short film schemes. Four flagship short film schemes operated nationwide: Cinema Extreme (administered by The Bureau ); the Completion Fund (administered by Maya Vision International ); The Magic Hour (administered by 104 films ); and Blank Slate (administered by B3 Media ). The remaining short film funding offered by
1404-686: The recommendation, and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments was established in November 1995. While in opposition, the Labour Party promised to reduce the number and power of NDPBs. The use of NDPBs continued under the Labour government in office from 1997 to 2010, though the political controversy associated with NDPBs in the mid-1990s for the most part died away. In 2010
1443-546: The responsibility of devolved government , various lower tier boards (including a considerable number within the NHS), and also other boards operating in the public sector (e.g. school governors and police authorities). These appointed bodies performed a large variety of tasks, for example health trusts , or the Welsh Development Agency , and by 1992 were responsible for some 25% of all government expenditure in
1482-720: The world of film to school children with free DVDs for screenings, visits from film professionals and an interactive website. The UKFC funded nine regional screen agencies via its Regional Investment Fund for England (RIFE) which provided funding for production, screen commissions, cinema exhibition, training, archives and education within each English region . These were: EM Media ( East Midlands ), Film London ( Greater London ), Northern Film & Media ( North East England ), North West Vision and Media, (also known as Vision+Media) ( North West England ), Screen East ( East of England ), Screen South ( South East England ), Screen West Midlands ( West Midlands ), Screen Yorkshire ( Yorkshire and
1521-699: Was announced that the council would be abolished; Actors and professionals including James McAvoy , Emily Blunt , Pete Postlethwaite , Damian Lewis , Timothy Spall , Daniel Barber and Ian Holm campaigned against the council's abolition. The move also led American actor and director Clint Eastwood (who had filmed Hereafter in London) to write to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in August 2010 to protest
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