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Government Policies (Presentation)
15. Mr. Dykes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the Government's key policy priorities for presentation to the public throughout 1996. [15251]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government will continue to stress that their policies are designed to: pursue economic prosperity and security for all, based on an enterprise economy; create a nation of opportunity, reflecting the Government's values of choice, ownership and reward; uphold decent common-sense values in the pursuit of law, order and justice; provide the people of Britain with first-class public services; and reflect pride in the nation and its place in the world.
Ministerial Responsibility
17. Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibility he takes for circulating information on the exercise of ministerial responsibility. [15253]
The Deputy Prime Minister: This information is contained in the "List of Ministerial Responsibilities", which is published and circulated by my Department.
Civil Service (Morale)
19. Mr. Touhig: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his proposals to improve the morale of the civil service. [15255]
Mr. Willetts : Morale in the civil service is best maintained by allowing staff to perform to the best of their abilities in the career they have chosen. As the Deputy Prime Minister made clear in his recent speech on the civil service, the Government's civil service reforms enable staff to focus their attention on delivering high-quality public services. This is the best way of satisfying both them and the users of their services.
Forms and Surveys
22. Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to reduce the number of forms and survey which businesses are required to complete and return to Government Departments and agencies. [15259]
Mr. Freeman
: Departments have been asked to report annually on the burden that they impose on business through forms and surveys by setting targets and reporting achievements in meeting them. I have also established a study group to investigate ways of reducing the compliance cost of Government surveys of business. I announced the appointment of the chairman of the study group and its terms of reference in a written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 9 February 1996 at column 372.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 308
25. Dr. Goodson-Wickes:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what account is taken of special advisers' pay in determining the pay of Ministers. [15262]
Mr. Willetts:
None. Ministerial salaries are determined by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.
28. Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received concerning the presentation of Government policy regarding the export of machine tools to Iraq. [15265]
The Deputy Prime Minister:
None.
29. Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Cabinet policies he has spent most time promoting in 1996. [15266]
The Deputy Prime Minister:
My colleagues and I have promoted policies that pursue economic prosperity and security for all, based on an enterprise economy; create a nation of opportunity, reflecting the Government's values of choice, ownership and reward; uphold decent common-sense values in the pursuit of law, order and justice; provide the people of Britain with first-class public services; and reflect pride in the nation and its place in the world.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of the booklets (a) "Getting a good deal in Europe" and (b) "Guidance on preparations of Compliance Cost Assessments" have been printed; and how many of each have been distributed to civil servants. [15882]
| Number printed | Total distributed to date | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting a good deal in Europe ... Deregulatory Principles in Practice | 20,000 | 7,600 |
| Checking the Cost of Regulation: A Guide to Compliance Cost Assessment | 15,000 | 3,200 |
Information on the numbers distributed to civil servants is not separately available.
EU Legislation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 13 February, Official Report, column 484, what improvements in the regulatory systems he has pressed for at the EU level; and if he will list the directives he has assessed as burdensome on which hopes to take action. [15906]
Mr. Freeman:
I refer the hon. Member to the paper "UK Priorities for European Regulatory Reform", which has been placed in the Library of the House.
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 309
Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he plans to study the scope for privatisation of the Government car service. [17521]
Mr. Freeman:
No. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment made clear on 8 November when he announced the transfer to my department of the Security Facilities Executive, the agency of which the Government car service forms part, the only study proposed into the scope for more private sector involvement in the work of the agency was in respect of the custody service. I have nothing to add to that statement.
Mr. Sykes:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of the next steps programme. [17520]
Mr. Freeman:
The Government today published the sixth Next Steps Review--Cm 3164--which was laid in both Houses. It brings together information on the 109 next steps agencies and the executive organisations of HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue established in Government at the end of 1995. Two out of three civil servants work under next steps arrangements.
The review has been developed from being a report on the next steps project to one that focuses on agency performance. It shows that in different areas and in different ways, many next steps agencies are delivering services to improved standards with increased efficiency and effectiveness.
For the first time, as announced in the second competitiveness White Paper "Competitiveness: Forging Ahead", the review includes results for each agency against its key targets over the last three financial years as well as the performance targets set for 1995-96. This indicates trends and facilitates comparison.
The individual commentaries on each agency include new features, such as whether the agency is involved in a private finance initiative project; its progress in securing investors in people accreditation; comment on external responses to completed prior options reviews; and more consistent coverage of market testing initiatives. The competing for quality returns reveal for the first time results for individual agencies. Between April 1992 and March 1995, agencies reviewed £1.3 billion of activities under the competing for quality programme, half of all the activity reviewed in the civil service. Agencies produced annual savings of £313 million, nearly 60 per cent. of the civil service total savings. This represents an average saving of 24 per cent.
Taken together, the individual entries in the review report on more than 1,400 key performance targets. Of these, the overall proportion met by agencies rose to 83 per cent. in 1994-95. This shows a continuing trend of improvement over the three preceding years when the results were 80 per cent. in 1993-94, 77 per cent. in 1992-93 and 76 per cent. in 1991-92.
Within government, agencies continue to be at the forefront of implementing the principles of the citizens charter. Sixty two charter marks are now held by agencies,
26 Feb 1996 : Column: 310
HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue, reflecting the commitment of agency chief executives and their staff to high standards of customer service.
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