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Centre for Environment, Fisheries and

Aquaculture Science

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science for 1999-2000. [83048]

Mr. Nick Brown: I have set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science the following performance targets for 1999-2000.

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Delivery of Service
1. To give satisfaction to its customers in the way that outputs are provided taking account of the relevance, timeliness and value for money of outputs and the achievement of ROAME milestones.
Quality of Science
2. To maintain a high standard of excellence, based on indicators of scientific and technical quality.
Efficiency
3. To achieve the savings forecast in the efficiency plan.
Financial Performance
4. To recover from Government Departments and Agencies and external customers the full economic costs (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services.
5. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

Farming and Rural Conservation Agency

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency for 1999-2000. [83049]

Mr. Nick Brown: I have set the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency the following performance targets for 1999-2000.

1. To deliver a 5 per cent. saving on new applications for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme compared with 1998-99.

Delivery of Service

2. 92 per cent. of work completed to time.

3. 98 per cent. of work completed to quality standards agreed with MAFF and WOAD customers.

People

4. To achieve Investors in People accreditation.

Financial Performance

5. To recover from Government Departments the full economic cost (calculated to accruals accounting) of its services.

6. To operate with 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

Pesticides Safety Directorate

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Pesticides Safety Directorate for 1999-2000. [83050]

Mr. Nick Brown: I have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following performance targets for 1999-2000.

Quality of Service

1. To deliver the throughput of applications and processing times set out in the tables that follows this list.

2. To deliver high quality policy advice to Ministers and respond to their policy objectives.

3. To deliver high quality scientific work.

4. To conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey and respond positively to the results.

People

5. To maintain Investors in People accreditation.

Efficiency

6. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

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Financial Performance

7. To recover from industry and Government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services.

8. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

Table 1: New substances and reviews

Application type	Planned receipts	Planned completions	Processing time (weeks)
New Active Substances
Sift	13	16	21
Evaluation	20	12	52
Reviews--UK
UK anticholinesterase review programme--full reviews	28	4	--
Other UK review activity	17	24	--
Reviews--EC
EU rapporteur reviews	--	--	--
Position on Annex 1 decisions	20	15	--
Total	98	71	(2)90

(2) Overall target--90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time

Note:

The figures for New Substances and Reviews are based on work in hand and forecasts from Industry and the Commission

Table 2: Technical secretariat

Application type	Planned receipts	Planned completions	Processing time (weeks)
Normal	320	370	40
Departmental Normal	10	10	50
Experimental Permit	5	5	26
Departmental Experimental Permit	5	5	50
Extrapolated Experimental Approval	10	10	15
Emergency Off Label	25	25	12
Non-emergency Off Label	50	40	34
Fast	270	300	15
Administrative Fast	550	550	4
Post Annex 1 Approvals	55	55	--
Mutual Recognition	5	5	--
Other	5	50	--
Total	1,310	1,426	--
Total of Tables 1 and 2	1,408	1,496	(3)90

(3) Overall target--90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time

Central Science Laboratory

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Central Science Laboratory for 1999-2000. [83051]

Mr. Nick Brown: I have set the Central Science Laboratory the following performance targets for 1999-2000.

Efficiency

1. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

Delivery of Science

2. At least 92 per cent. of work completed to time and within budget.

3. Achieve a mean score of 3.5 on a scale of 0 to 5 for the assessment of customer satisfaction using the established methodology.

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4. Proportion of project milestones achieved to be at or greater than 82 per cent. (MAFF commissioned projects).

Financial Performance

5. To recover the full economic costs (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services, after allowing for relocation costs.

6. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

Meat Hygiene Service

Mr. Dobbin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Meat Hygiene Service for 1999-2000. [83052]

Mr. Nick Brown: I have set the Meat Hygiene Service the following performance targets for 1999-2000.

Operational and service delivery

1. To control specified risk material

To take all measures necessary to ensure full compliance in licensed premises with Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 and other related statutory instruments.

2. To maintain the formal training programme for staff in HAS

To ensure that all MHS contract and employed OVSs have received formal training in HAS by the end of the year.

3. To raise HAS scores

To ensure that at the end of 1999-2000 on a rolling three-month average at least 93 per cent. of licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 65 and that 75 per cent. of all licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 70.

4. To implement strictly the MHS clean livestock strategy

To implement strictly the Clean Livestock Policy by ensuring that the percentage of cattle and sheep allowed to be slaughtered under special precautions in categories 3 and 4 is below 10 per cent. of those initially rejected over the course of the year (category 5 animals may not be slaughtered for human consumption).

5. To ensure a strict prohibition on faecal contamination

To ensure a strict prohibition on carcases showing any faecal contamination being health-marked for human consumption.

6. Animal Welfare

To ensure that the Welfare at Slaughter and Killing Regulations 1995 are enforced in licensed slaughterhouses and to maintain effective monitoring of compliance; to carry out an animal welfare survey in all slaughterhouses by the end of the year.

Efficiency

7. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

Financial Performance

8. To charge costs to industry

To charge plant operators the recoverable costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant legislation and accruals accounting and Industry Charges Guide) of providing the statutory health inspection at fresh meat premises.

9. To recover full costs from Government

To recover from Government Departments, Agencies and the Intervention Board the full economic costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant charging legislation and accruals accounting) of providing agreed services or other work undertaken on their behalf.

10. To comply with cash restraints

To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

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