David Burch's resignation as Government's "quangos chief" will have come as a surprise at first glance, but it seems likely that reports at his frustration at not being able to make more progress, especially on housing issues, are largely accurate.

Certainly, "the Colonel's" announcements on housing initiatives have slowed in recent months, while the collapse of the Homes for People initiative and the rejection of the Perimeter Lane complex's plans by the Development Applications Board must have contributed to his unhappiness.

All of this is, necessarily, speculation, because Lt. Col. Burch, in his inimitable style, has not spoken to the media to date.

But generally, it seems likely that the glacial pace of Government bureaucracy has taken its toll. Last week, in virtually the sole reference to housing in his televised speech, Premier Alex Scott again promised action on allowing quangos to offer lease terms of more than 21 years. This newspaper first reported on the problem last November, and it stands to reason that the Government has known about it for much longer than that, so one would have thought something could have been done before now.

Even so, one would think that Lt. Col. Burch was quite au fait with the bureaucratic process, so it is quite likely that something more dramatic must have happened to make him again give up public service.

To be sure, Lt. Col. Burch is unlikely to win any popularity contests and he has made very clear his dislike for this newspaper on past occasions.

But no one can question his effectiveness and ability to get things done, and his resignation leaves a gap in a critical area like housing that will be hard to fill.