Complaint and inspection agencies in Scotland will be abolished or merged under plans revealed today by the Scottish Government.

Complaint and inspection agencies in Scotland will be abolished or merged under plans revealed today by the Scottish Government.

Finance secretary John Swinney said the move will affect 11 public bodies - with a budget of £59 million - leaving five in their place.

He said: "The changes I have set out today will benefit those delivering services.

"Most crucially however, time will be freed up for the delivery and improvement of services themselves which will be of benefit to people using services."

He told MSPs there was no estimate on how much cash the moves would save but insisted there will be no compulsory redundancies.

The cuts will lead to a new health scrutiny body, bringing together functions of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission, as well as some functions of the Care Commission.

A single body will take over care and social work from the Social Work Inspectorate Agency, Care Commission and HM Inspectorate of Education.

Mr Swinney said he will abolish the Scottish Charity Appeals Panel once alternatives have been identified.

He intends to move the functions of Waterwatch and the Scottish Prisoner Complaints Commission, both of which would be abolished.

If agreed in future legislation, the total number of scrutiny bodies will be reduced in 2011 from 29 to 23.

Mr Swinney said the cuts would help Scotland's 32 local councils by easing the burden of inspections.

"The public expect assurances that their services are efficient and fit for purpose," he said.

"But they want teachers, care workers and other public sector workers to get on with delivering services, not constantly preparing for the next inspector."

The announcement came two years after the previous Labour/Liberal Democrat executive launched a review of scrutiny agencies, led by Professor Lorne Crerar.

The SNP administration said it was endorsing his main recommendations today.

Labour MSP Andy Kerr broadly welcomed the announcement but said: "I'm not sure the clarity which we expect at this point is available to us in terms of the examination of the proposals."

Tory MSP Derek Brownlee said: "From the Conservative side I think we would welcome the broad thrust of the announcement today while obviously reserving the right to look at the detail when it comes forward."