20.01.12
Making predictions
Eliminating quangos could be more costly than Government originally predicted. However, the Cabinet Office has since amended this estimate and now cites a cost that overlaps with the NAO's.
When making proposals, especially controversial or large-scale new ideas, it is understandable that the Government would posit a smaller cost. Additionally, extra time to research the impacts of reducing quangos could afford a clearer understanding of the actual cost, leading to a modification of the earlier estimate.
Therefore, the NAO may be too quick to blame Government for their earlier suggestion. We should not expect them to be able to provide completely accurate estimates for every policy proposal – that is why they are called estimates.
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