TAIPEI: Taiwan plans to cut eight ministry-level agencies and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs in the biggest revamp of its cabinet system in six decades, the government said today.

The reorganisation law passed late yesterday will cut the number of ministries and cabinet-level agencies to 29 from 37 and reduce the number of staff by 50,000, according to cabinet officials. Amongst other moves, the Sports Affairs Council will be merged into the Education Ministry while the National Science Council and Atomic Energy Council will be combined to form a new Technology Ministry, they said. The law, which will take effect in 2012, also imposes a hiring limit for cabinet staff of 173,000, down over 20 per cent from the current 223,000 employees, the Central Personnel Administration said.

The law is aimed at streamlining administrative procedures to boost efficiency and national competitiveness, the administration said in a statement.

It also comes after a recent survey by the China Times paper showed several cabinet ministers were known by less than one percent of all Taiwanese, triggering concerns that they were not doing enough to promote government policies.