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Executive Agency Targets
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what targets he has set for the Rent Service. [120068]
Mr. Mullin: Key targets have been agreed for the Agency. They are included in the Agency's Business Plan, which includes management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks. Copies of the Business Plan will be placed in the Library in due course.
The key targets for the Rent Service are:
- to increase the number of cases determined per employee by a minimum of 5 per cent. per year while reducing the cost per case by a minimum of 5 per cent. per year in real terms, with no reduction in the quality of service provided;
- to deliver Statutory performance targets in 95 per cent. of cases;
- to achieve the following customer service targets against Housing Benefit applications:
- process 80 per cent. of Determinations without an inspection within three working days,
- process 70 per cent. of Determinations with an inspection within 15 working days,
- process 80 per cent. of Pre-Tenancy Determinations within four working days,
- process 50 per cent. of Redeterminations within 15 working days;
- process 80 per cent. of Fair Rent Determinations within 40 working days;
- complete 99 per cent. of Housing Renovation Grant valuations within 40 working days.
Mr. Hill: The Agency's principal financial target for 2000-01 is to achieve a minimum contribution to the Exchequer of £1,450,000.
Operational targets have been set to increase occupancy of the three key conference areas as follows: Churchill Auditorium to 225 days; Fleming Room to 225 days; Mountbatten Room to 225 days.
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The Agency is also being required to achieve eight new banqueting events, and has the following quality of service targets:
- overall score for quality of staff 82 per cent.
overall score for customer satisfaction 85 per cent.
overall score for quality of venue 78 per cent.
overall score for value for money 70 per cent.
the number of complaints received to be less than two per 100 events
an average response time when answering complaints of less than four working days.
Mr. Hill: Key targets have been set for the agencies. They are included in the agencies' business plans which also include management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks appropriate to the agencies' businesses. Copies of the business plans will be placed in the Library in due course.
The key targets for the Driving Standards Agency are to: contribute to the achievement of a 40 per cent. reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to age 24 years, by 2010 (compared with an average for 1994-98) and to achieve the following customer service targets:
- 85 per cent. of all customers to be satisfied with the overall level of service received from the Agency.
95 per cent. of candidates to have obtained a theory test appointment at their preferred test centre within two weeks of their preferred date.
The national average practical car test waiting time will be no more than six weeks.
- Keep 99.5 per cent. of all theory test appointments, and 99.5 per cent. of practical test appointments that are in place two days prior to the test appointment.
90 per cent. of calls to booking offices will be answered by a human voice in no more than 20 seconds (following routing by the call handling system).
Achieve a 2 per cent. return on capital employed (ROCE) on statutory activities in 2000-01;
not increase fees for statutory activities (unless additional strategic responsibilities are placed on the Agency);
use examiner resource efficiently by achieving an average examiner utilisation for car practical tests of 80 per cent.
- make an overall efficiency gain of 2.5 per cent.;
achieve a cost:yield ratio of at least 2.9 to 1 on enforcement (ie recoup £2.90 for every £1 spent);
achieve the following customer service standards;
98 per cent. of Driving Licences issued error-free,
98 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free,
97 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free,
ensure the following document turn-round times;
95 per cent. of Ordinary Driving Licences within 10 days,
95 per cent. of first Provisional Licences within nine days,
95 per cent. of Vocational Licences within eight days,
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95 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents within 12 days,
95 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents within 12 days,
answer 94 per cent. of all telephone inquiries within 30 seconds;
answer 96 per cent. of all written inquiries within eight days.
- achieve break-even or better on the commercial accounts while achieving at least a 6 per cent. rate of return on capital employed;
have at least 98 per cent. of approval certificates issued error free;
achieve a score of at least 90 per cent. on the quality and service matrix targets shown in the Plan;
ensure that the figure for debtor days is 65 or less;
ensure that invoices for Management System Certification work are issued within an average of 30 days after completion of the chargeable work;
achieve Trading Fund status by 31 March 2001.
- meet the quality and general effectiveness levels as specified in the Business Plan measures set for 2000-01;
meet the requirements on levels and types of activity laid down in the Memorandum of Agreement on each Road Transport Enforcement Scheme as agreed with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions;
- continue to improve customer focus across VI through the implementation of initiatives in line with the Modernising Government agenda and with particular emphasis on increased advisory and educational services;
achieve an Aggregated Cost Efficiency (ACE) index of +1 per cent.;
break even while achieving an average 6 per cent. real rate of return on capital,
over the period 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2003;
improve performance management across the business through delivery of the specified measures in the Business Plan 2000-01;
secure the long-term development of the organisation through (a) progression of the MOT Computerisation project; (b) continued development of electronic services delivery; and, (c) a network review resulting in an updated network strategy.
Commercial Property Leases
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the outcome of his Department's review of the property industry's Code of Practice on Commercial Property Leases; and if he will make a statement. [120069]
Mr. Raynsford: Research which I am publishing today shows that small business tenants still have little knowledge of property matters. I consider it essential that they should be properly informed, to enable them to get the best deals in the market rather than the standard packages still too often on offer.
I urge the industry and professions to join Government in ensuring that small businesses, and particularly those starting in business for the first time, have access to information about property arrangements. We will be making a contribution through the new Small Business Service, but I look to the industry and the professions to play their part.
We need to consider how Government, industry and the professions can be more proactive. It is not just a matter of providing information: we need to prompt those setting
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up in business to ask the right questions at the outset, to help them make the right choices, thus ensuring that their form of property occupation assists rather than hinders their business development.
The research, on the impact of the Code of Practice on Commercial Property Leases since its introduction in 1995, was carried out by Reading University and was designed to see how far the Code of Practice had brought about more flexibility in the commercial property market.
The findings show that while the Code itself has had little impact, the market is now granting much shorter leases and has become more transparent.
I am concerned that upward-only rent reviews still predominate in longer leases, and while I welcome the report's evidence of greater flexibility, I am disappointed that the Code of Practice has not had a greater influence.
To see if we can avoid regulating lease terms, I invite the industry and property professions to consider:
- the scope and contents of the Code of Practice;
the arrangements for disseminating the Code and other forms of advice for tenants;
how the market could promote alternatives to upward-only rent review clauses, ensuring that they are presented attractively while bearing the appropriate price tag; and
how to promote a better understanding of the workings of dispute mechanisms; in particular, to encourage wider take-up of the special disputes resolution scheme for small businesses which the RICS introduced last year.
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