Examination of Witnesses (Questions 120
- 125)
WEDNESDAY 8 DECEMBER 1999
AIR VICE-MARSHAL
JOE FRENCH,
GROUP CAPTAIN
STEPHEN LLOYD
AND BRIGADIER
PHILIP WILDMAN
Mr Gapes
120. A question for Air Vice-Marshal French:
the JARIC targets for delivering intelligence assessments have
changed from the current year. Rather than having separate targets
for different priority tasks there is now this all-embracing target
to meet 95% of requirements within specified times. Can you assure
us that this does not mean a lower level of service to customers?
(Air Vice-Marshal French) No, quite the opposite.
There is nothing sinister in that at all. If you look at the document
plan overall those specific details are in an annex or an appendix
later on in the document. We were just looking to make those key
targets look a little easier to digest rather than having tables
of percentages.
121. Can I ask something supplementary to the
Kosovo questions earlier. Have the Kosovo operations prevented
either the Military Survey or JARIC meeting their performance
targets, even temporarily, and did you have to take any special
steps to meet the increased work load as a result of Kosovo?
(Group Captain Lloyd) I would not suggest there were
special steps. We have a procedure which from the bottom up sheds
one sort of tasking to absorb another sort of tasking and a balance
is struck. That is a partnership that has worked in the customer
group as to how we rearrange, if you like, the resource to meet
the load. To address your question, that even temporarily did
we fail a key target per se, it is correct to say that in the
month of July I actually failed to meet one priority three task,
one out of two priority three tasks. The way the maths is currently
done—this is a lesson to me, it is probably erroneous. In
priority one I had 100% success rate in support of operations;
in priority two I had 100% success rate for operations and at
priority three because I failed one or two I had a 50% success.
If you do a rough average across those figures it takes me below
the line. That is probably over-simplistic. Over the year—my
key target is set across the year—I have every confidence
that I will exceed that key target and service delivery to my
customers.
(Brigadier Wildman) In key target terms,
no, but clearly as with JARIC we have a process whereby we can
agree temporarily to suspend tasks that are of lower priority
than the immediate. There was production which was impacted, particularly
in reproduction which was mostly impacted, over a period of about
a couple of months. Measures that we generally take in those circumstances,
which we take in these, firstly if we want to beef up our output
people will work extra hours—overtime comes in and that
sort of thing. We can catch up afterwards by using a balance of
overtime, contract and other such things. Our aim would be to
get back on track two to three months afterwards, which we have
been broadly able to do. There is always an immediate impact of
some sort, yes.
122. The memorandum from the MoD said that the
JARIC 3% failure target could not be sustained during Kosovo.
Obviously we understand that things might be under pressure but
would it not be helpful if you were able to argue that in fact
the extra work you did in Kosovo was an efficiency gain in a sense?
(Brigadiere Wildman) I am not sure exactly where the
precise words in the piece of paper you have come from because
it is not a statement that I myself have made. It is true to say
that had Kosovo continued and the increased costs of operation,
which is a legitimate means of charging operations, it is quite
possible that in those circumstances I would have overspent by
the amount of the expenditure on that operation. It is a matter
of interpretation in that regard, but the fact that I am spending
additional money to meet an additional task, yes, there is a potential
case for enhancement in the future.
123. The reference is actually on the table
of the key targets at the bottom, where it says, "Performance.
Key target 3 has been exceeded and key target 4 could not be sustained
during Kosovo." That is the MoD memorandum and attached to
the back of it—
(Air Vice-Marshal French) Yes, I see the words.
Chairman
124. Perhaps you could drop us a note?
(Air Vice-Marshal French) Yes. This is obviously not
chiming with us.
125. Check with head office and let us know.
Thank you so much and thanks to the staff for staying on longer
than normal. It has really been very interesting and maybe we
will see one of you again when we get on to our inquiry into Kosovo.
(Air Vice-Marshal French) We look forward to that.
Thank you.
Chairman: Thank you so much.
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