Non-Department Public Bodies
A non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a body which plays a role in the process of national government, but is not itself a government department or part of one. To a greater or lesser extent, they operate at arm's lengths from the government and its ministers.
In the main the board of any body has corporate and social responsibility for ensuring that the body fulfils the aims and objectives set by the Secretary of State and serves the communities well. The main role of a board is to establish strategy, approve policy direction and review performance of the organisation.
Defra is responsible for sponsoring more than 50 such organisations of which there are three main types: Executive NDPBs, Advisory NDPBs and Levy bodies. NDPBs can range widely in size and are based all over the country.
They contribute to a huge range of different agenda issues all with a common link to Defra's goals and purpose around managing environmental risk, building a low-carbon economy, managing climate change, encouraging sustainability, promoting animal welfare and supporting farming and food supplies.
You'll find a full list of Defra NDPBs on our main website.
There is also additional information on the main Civil Service website about public bodies.