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Regulation
12. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to reduce the number of regulations issued by Government Departments. [112268]
Mr. Stringer: Each Government Department now has a Regulatory Reform Minister. These Ministers are directly responsible for delivering our regulatory strategy in their Department including:
- getting rid of unnecessary regulations; and
- consulting with business on any essential new proposals.
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"Modernising Government"
14. Mr. Quinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions she has had with (a) trade union representatives and (b) others on the "Modernising Government" programme. [112270]
Marjorie Mowlam: I have regular meetings with the trade unions at which developments in modernising government are discussed among other topics.
I have many other meetings and it would be unusual for modernisation not to feature positively in some way.
Online Government
20. Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the state of preparedness of the United Kingdom for online Government. [112276]
Mr. Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to him on 20 January 2000, Official Report, column 544W.
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DEFENCE
Defence Estates Organisation
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) those targets of the Defence Estates organisation for 1998-99 which (i) were and (ii) were not achieved, giving the factors affecting the outcome in each case and (b) action taken by the agency to improve target achievement performance in 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [111725]
Dr. Moonie: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Estates agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the right hon. and learned Member.
Letter from Ian Andrews to Mr. Menzies Campbell, dated 6 March 2000:
- The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on the targets set for the Defence Estate Organisation.
- Detailed below are the Defence Estates (formerly the Defence Estate Organisation) published Key Targets for 1998/1999:
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| Target | Subject | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Key Target 1 | Establish cost of disposals (including internal costs and consultancy fees, but not Works in Aid) as a percentage of disposal receipts and set targets for improvement | Achieved |
| Key Target 2 | Achieve gross disposal receipts of £150m | Achieved |
| Key Target 3 | Complete transfer of title to new owner of 90% of disposals within 3 years of property being passed to DEO for disposal. | Not Achieved |
| Key Target 4 | Complete initial assessment against Business Excellence Model. | Achieved |
| Key Target 5 | Complete Internal Investors in People (IIP) and external customer survey and submit reports to the Owner's Advisory Board, together with proposed targets for improvement: | |
| a. Internal IIP process | Achieved | |
| b. External customer survey | Achieved | |
| Key Target 6 | Appointments for external Project Managers for capital works projects: | |
| a. 99% achievement within 1 month for appointments made through Term Commissions or Partnering arrangements. | Achieved | |
| b. 90% achievement within 5 months for all appointments. | Achieved |
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It was not possible to achieve KT3 due to the legacy of sites in the disposal programme. The actual figure achieved for sites sold during 1998/1999, was 77 per cent.
The 1998/1999 Annual Report & Accounts for Defence Estates was published on 2 November 1999, and a copy placed in the library of the House of Commons on 2 November 1999.
The Agency's Key Targets for 1998/1999 reflected an organisation in transition. This was a period during which the Agency necessarily committed itself to essential internal restructuring to accommodate the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). It was also necessary for the Agency to improve its focus on the needs of its customers and other stakeholders. The 1999/2000 Key Targets reflected this. Specifically, they addressed the need to establish a corporate management strategy for the estate, the development of a new construction procurement model and to improve the process for the disposal of surplus buildings and land.
The published Key Targets for 1999/2000 are:
Key Target 1:
To demonstrate an improvement of 10% (over the figure for 1998/1999) in the level of customer satisfaction with the services provided by the Agency as measured by the 1999/2000 customer survey.
Key Target 2:
To achieve net disposal receipts of £235M.
Key Target 3:
To let three pilot Prime Contracts by 31 March 2000.
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Key Target 4:
To publish a strategy for the management of the Defence Estate by 31 December 1999.
I hope this is helpful.
RAF Signals Engineering Establishment
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) those targets of the RAF Signals Engineering Establishment for 1998-99 which (i) were and (ii) were not achieved, giving the factors affecting the outcome in each case and (b) action taken by the agency to improve target achievement performance in 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [111752]
Dr. Moonie: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Royal Air Force Signals Engineering Establishment. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the right hon. and learned Member.
Letter from C. M. Davison to Mr. Menzies Campbell, dated 6 March 2000:
- I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence in which you ask for details of those targets for the RAF Signals Engineering Establishment for 1998-99 which were, and were not, achieved, giving the factors affecting the outcome in each
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- case, and detailing the action taken by the Agency to improve target achievement in 1999-2000. These matters fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Agency.
- The Agency Key Targets and achievement against each one were published in the Annual Report and Accounts for 1998-99 (Publication HC 677 Page 12 refers). Eight of the nine Targets were achieved. The Target not achieved--the attainment of Investors in People accreditation by 31 December 1998--was revised during the
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- year following a mock assessment in September 1998 which highlighted the need for further work on the evaluation of training and development taking place within the organisation. The formal assessment was carried out in March 1999, and the Agency was awarded its accreditation in July 1999, well ahead of the overall MoD deadline.
- In the light of revised guidance from the MoD Framework Team, only 4 Key Targets were published for the Agency in 1999-2000, and the evidence to date indicates that each Target will be achieved.
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| Targets, outturns and achievements | Targets for | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | |||
| Efficiency | ||||||
| To reduce the cost per task manhour, at full cost, compared with the FY 1996-97 | Target | Baseline set at £62.50 | Less than 95% | Less than 93% | Less than 85%(9) | |
| figure | Outturn | --(8) | 90.6% | 83.65% | -- | |
| Reduce the core as far as possible and continue to refine it against the | Target | Review and reduce to minimum | Review and reduce to minimum | Review and reduce to minimum | (10)-- | |
| operational need | Outturn | Achieved | Achieved | Achieved | -- | |
| Throughput | ||||||
| Maintain core skills needed to support | Target | Maintain skills | Maintain skills | Maintain skills | (10)-- | |
| likely operations | Outturn | Achieved | Achieved | Achieved | -- | |
| Deliver operational tasks on time | Target | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | |
| Outturn | 100% | 100% | 100% | -- | ||
| Deliver non-operational tasks on time | Target | More than 80% | More than 85% | More than 90% | More than 92% | |
| Outturn | 87.3% | 87.75% | 93.5% | -- | ||
| Quality | ||||||
| To reduce the number of quality failures | Target | Less than 5% | Less than 5% | Less than 4% | Less than 1.5% | |
| in completed tasks | Outturn | 1% | 3% | 1.4% | -- | |
| Financial Performance | ||||||
| Develop an improved costing system which will interface effectively with the MOD's overall approach to Resource | Target | No Target | No Target | Develop costing system | (10)-- | |
| Accounting and Budgeting | Outturn | (11)-- | (11)-- | Achieved | (10)-- | |
| Miscellaneous | ||||||
| Complete an Action Plan to resolve the Year 2000 IT problem by 30 September | Target | No Target | No Target | Complete Plan | (12)-- | |
| 1998 | Outturn | (11)-- | (11)-- | Achieved | -- | |
| Achieve Investors in People Accreditation by 31 December 1998 | Target | No Target | No Target | Achieve by 31 December 1998 | (12)-- | |
| Outturn | (11)-- | (11)-- | Not achieved(13) | -- | ||
(8) Previous figures based on cash cost
(9) In real terms
(10) Not a Key Target for this year following revised guidance
(11) Not applicable
(12) Not a Key Target for this year
(13) The target was revised during the year following a mock assessment. The assessment took place in March 1999. We have been informed that a positive recommendation will be made to the assessment panel on 23 July 1999.
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