Brown must raise standards not tinker with titles - Stunell

11.20.14pm GMT Mon 2nd Jul 2007

The Government has spent at least £2.6 million reorganising and rebranding government departments since 1997, figures released today by the Liberal Democrats show.

These costs are set to increase even further after Gordon Brown's announcement to split the Department for Education and Skills into two departments and the rebranding of the Department for Trade and Industry.

The research shows:

· When the Home Office split earlier this year, the creation of the Ministry of Justice cost £1.5million

· The cost of creating the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2001 was £529,000

· The creation six years ago of the now split Department for Education and Skills cost £56,057

· Local Government has been the responsibility of departments with five different names.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Andrew Stunell MP said:

"People will be sceptical that these new Ministries will be any more effective than their expensive predecessors.

"People will not be impressed with Gordon Brown's endless tinkering of the titles of Whitehall departments but want him to raise standards in schools, improve patient care in hospitals and protect the environment.

"In the last ten years, the Government have rebranded or reorganised eleven departments at a cost of at least £2.6 million.

"Gordon Brown should concentrate less on renaming ministries and more on the policies they implement.

"The public do not care what the department for education is called, they care about school results and the quality of teaching.

"People are upset at soaring council tax rates whether they are orchestrated by the DCLG, CLG, ODPM, DLTR or the DETR."