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Health and Social Services Estates Agency
Mr. Desmond Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Estates Agency. [9838]
Marjorie Mowlam: The targets below have been set for the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Estates Agency for 1997-98. The targets are in line with the Government's policy of seeking to improve the service provided to clients in terms of both quality and value for money. I am satisfied that the targets present a demanding challenge for the Agency. They are as follows:-
- Delivery of services
- Provide the Agency's services in accordance with the requirements of the Service Level Agreements agreed with clients.
- Develop the management process for the Retained Estate in support of the HSS-E by March 1998.
- Provide HSS-E with a Defects Centre in relation to the HPSS Estate.
- Investigate and clear 60 per cent. of all adverse incidents within six months of notification of Health Estates.
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- Provide support and advice to the HSS-E on environmental and energy issues and establish an annual environmental award for best environmental practice within the HPSS estate.
- Review Firecode in the light of the impending Places of Work Regulations and deliver to the HSS-E the annual Fire Report on the HPSS estate by March 1998.
- Complete for HSS Trust clients nine Outline Business Cases of total estimated capital value £29.15 million.
- Complete planning and design team briefing for one scheme, estimated capital value £1.3 million.
- Complete tender process and move to construction stage five schemes of estimated capital value £99.44 million.
- Project Manage to completion on site 13 schemes of estimated total capital value £12.57 million.
- Complete design and/or achieve Practical Completion in respect of 15 schemes (value £4 million), these to include feasibility studies and Planning Supervision in compliance with CDM Regulations.
- Arrange for the Completion of Defects Certificates to be issued for 85 per cent. of all schemes completed in the previous year. Issue Final Certificates after the agreement on Final Account of 60 per cent. of outstanding contracts.
- Provide lead Clerks of Works Inspection Services on Craigavon Hospital, Causeway Hospital, Altnagelvin Hospital and the Royal Group of Hospitals on projects valued at £98 million.
A copy of the targets is being placed in the Library of the House.
Complete 85 per cent. of periodic specialist equipment tests by their programmed date and remainder within six weeks of that date. Complete 75 per cent. of specialist and diagnostic equipment acceptance tests, equipment evaluations and other tests within six weeks of receipt of request and the remainder within 10 weeks.
Complete Electricity At Work Regulation compliance surveys and issue recommendations for one Trust and two Hospital Sites.
Provide High Voltage, Low Voltage and Medical Gas Pressure Systems Authorising Engineer services to 23 locations.
Efficiency of service
Achieve an in-house 5 per cent. efficiency saving.
Complete the implementation of an enhanced management information and project costing system which will permit greater control of resources against client service needs.
Financial management and performance
Manage the Agency's resources so as to deliver its Business Plan within the gross budget allocation ad adjusted during the course of the year.
Ensure that the Agency's management accounting and information systems are adequate to support the preparation of auditable accounts for 1997-98, thereby ensuring the issue of an Accounts Direction by the Department of Finance and Personnel.
Members' Interests
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8109]
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Dr. Reid:
The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) made it clear that, when Members are meeting Ministers or others on topics in which they have an interest, the onus is on the Member to declare that interest not the Minister to know (paragraph 63 of Cm 2850). It is not practicable for Ministers and officials, amongst their other duties, to vet requests for meetings against the Register of Members' Interests.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests.[8106]
Dr. Reid:
The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) recognised the value of enabling Members to retain interests outside the House, provided these were properly declared, both in the Register of Members' Interests and on other occasions. Subject to these requirements, and to the rules of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, Members are free to seek meetings with Ministers and officials, who will consider such requests alongside the many other approaches from individuals and organisations concerned to press their own interests or those of others.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the administrative costs of his Department's Procurement Executive at Abbey Wood are (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the defence budget in the current financial year. [8215]
Mr. Spellar:
The internal operating cost budget (i.e. excluding extramural research, non-Abbey Wood capital works and equipment procurement expenditure) of the Procurement Executive at Abbey Wood and elsewhere is some £325 million or 1.5 per cent. of the Defence budget in the current financial year.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the administrative costs of his Department (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the defence budget. [8130]
Dr. Reid:
The defence budget for 1997-98 is £21.822 billion, which reflects a reduction of over 25 per cent. in real terms over the past 10 years. Within this, the Ministry of Defence does not distinguish between costs incurred in delivering its objectives and costs incurred in administering the delivery of those objectives. Responsibility for expenditure on all elements of defence operating costs, which include the costs of administration as well as those of delivering most aspects of military capability, is delegated to thirteen Top Level Budget holders. Planned expenditure by them for 1997-98 is £16,382 million, or 75.1 per cent. of the defence budget.
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's definition of operational effectiveness. [7827]
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Dr. Reid:
Operational effectiveness is defined differently according to the context. At the highest level it is the ability of the UK's forces successfully to carry out their missions. At the operational level, it is evaluated by measuring operational capabilities against those of potential adversaries in particular sets of circumstances.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to eliminate the category of casual employee. [7925]
Mr. Spellar:
No. Recruitment to posts in the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Recruitment Code which permits the recruitment of staff on permanent, short term or casual contracts. This depends on the nature of the employment offered. Where a job is clearly temporary, or there is genuine uncertainty about work requirements, casual appointments for periods of up to 12 months are permitted.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8108]
Dr. Reid:
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained on 2 June 1997 in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), Official Report, column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department cannot keep a register of such meetings.
(2) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8107]
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