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Fisheries Research Services
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the key performance targets he has set for Fisheries Research Services for 1997-98. [12073]
Mr. Chisholm: For this, the first year as an agency, I have set the following targets.
- Delivery of service
- To carry out a customer satisfaction survey.
- To achieve 70 per cent. of the milestones agreed for R and D projects.
- To maintain, pro rata, FRS's publication output.
- Quality of service
- To submit, as required for accreditation of chemical measurements, the quality manual and documentation to the United Kingdom accreditation service.
- To review the work of the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory through a visiting group and to report by December 1997.
- Financial targets
- To carry out the agreed Scottish Office programme within the agreed costs.
- To recover full economic costs from external customers.
- To establish the proportional administrative costs of FRS and to compare them with those of other agencies.
- To establish the cost per day of the FRS research vessels and to compare them with those of similar research vessels.
- To establish the unit cost of fish disease inspections and to compare with other similar programmes.
These various measures or tasks should provide a solid basis for evaluating performance over the medium term, by establishing a time series for certain indicators and by the requirement for regular external scrutiny, whether by customers or scientific peers.
Scottish Tourist Board
Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the forthcoming policy and financial management review of the Scottish tourist board. [12161]
Mr. Dewar: As part of the Government's rolling programme of five-yearly policy and financial management reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department will conduct a thorough review of the Scottish tourist board during 1997. The first stage of the review will take the form of a prior options study which will include an examination of the scope for discontinuing, privatising, contracting out or transferring to another body some or all of the functions carried out by the board. This study is now under way and I would welcome comments from interested parties. Comments should be sent by 6 October 1997 to:
- Mr. Neil Clement
- The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department
- Area 3-G
- Victoria Quay
- EDINBURGH
- EH6 6QQ
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 311
Referendum Publicity Costs
Mr. Ernie Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the final allocation in 1997-98 for expenditure on publicity in respect of the referendum on a Scottish Parliament. [12162]
Mr. Dewar: In 1997-98, £700,000 will made available through voted provision to meet the cost of publicity and other miscellaneous expenditure associated with the referendum on a Scottish Parliament. The provision will be made available through the miscellaneous category in the Scottish Office Home Department vote.
Parliamentary approval of this new expenditure will be sought in a 1997-98 winter supplementary estimate for the law, order and protective services, police grant and social work services, Scotland vote--class XIII, vote 5. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure will be met by a repayable advance from the contingencies fund.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Charter Unit
8. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the role of the charter unit in his Department. [9714]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The charter unit is responsible for taking forward the charter programme under our direction. In particular, it administers the charter mark award scheme, provides guidance to public service organisations, and disseminates best practice in public service provision.
Freedom of Information
13. Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received regarding freedom of information. [9719]
15. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent representations he has received regarding freedom of information legislation. [9721]
Dr. David Clark: My Department has received representations from more than 70 organisations and individuals, all welcoming the Government's plans for greater openness and a freedom of information Act.
17. Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of the White Paper on freedom of information.[9723]
28. Ann Clwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the proposed White Paper on freedom of information. [9735]
Dr. Clark: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk, West (Mr. Canavan).
18. Mr. Skinner:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the obstacles to the early introduction of a White Paper on freedom of information legislation. [9724]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 312
Dr. Clark:
The time necessary to prepare fully considered proposals on this integral part of our radical programme of constitutional reform.
20. Mr. Stringer:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he will take to study the experience of other countries in developing freedom of information legislation. [9726]
Dr. Clark:
In developing our proposals for freedom of information legislation we are studying the experience of a number of other countries. I am planning to visit Canada, Australia and New Zealand later this year to look at the implementation and operation of their freedom of information regimes. I also took the opportunity to look at the American experience of freedom of information during my recent trip to the United States of America.
24. Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what consultations he has had with ministerial colleagues on proposed freedom of information legislation. [9731]
Dr. Clark:
I have had a number of useful discussions with ministerial colleagues.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if his proposals for freedom of information legislation will apply to (a) British Nuclear Fuels plc and (b) other publicly owned companies. [11227]
Dr. Clark:
Our intention is that the freedom of information Act will apply not only to central Government Departments and agencies but to the public sector more widely. Details will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper.
14. Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to reform the programme of charters. [9720]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) earlier today.
16. Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what initiatives he is taking to consult elderly people on the use of public services. [9722]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I attended a forum of older people on 8 July. The participants discussed their use of public services, identifying key issues of concern, and ways in which new technology could be used to deliver services to older people. They also commented on an early draft chapter of a booklet we are producing with the Citizenship Foundation, Age Concern and Saga, which will cover rights as they relate to older people.
19. Sir Sydney Chapman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he plans to conclude his discussions on the citizens charter; and what are his plans for promoting and developing the quality of public services. [9725]
30 Jul 1997 : Column: 313
Mr. Kilfoyle:
As we have already announced, we will be consulting widely on the future direction of the charter programme. We will take into account the results of this consultation and, of course, the report of the previous Public Service Committee on which the hon. Member sat. I hope that, around the end of this year, we will be in a position to relaunch the programme as an initiative that will make a real difference to the lives of ordinary people.
21. Mr. Timms:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the areas in which the electronic delivery of public services will have the greatest impact. [9728]
Dr. David Clark:
Information technology will underscore our better government programme, informing all we do as a Government. We intend that electronic delivery systems will have a wide impact on all Government services in every part of the country and will benefit everybody.
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