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Twenty-fourth Annual Report 2001-02
ANNEX
A
Commission
Annual Report 2001-02
Report by the Board of Management
Sir William McKay,
KCB Chief Executive, Chairman
of the Board of Management
George Cubie Clerk
of Committees, representing the Department of the Clerk of the
House
Michael Cummins Serjeant
at Arms
Priscilla Baines Librarian
Andrew Walker Director
of Finance and Administration
Ian Church Editor
of the Official Report
Sue Harrison Director
of Catering Services
The Board
of Management-: Left to right
George Cubie, Sir William McKay KCB, Michael Cummins, Sue Harrison,
Ian Church, Priscilla Baines, Andrew Walker.
1. The
duties of the Board of Management are set by the House of Commons
Commission in an Instrument of Delegation which was revised on
24 July 2000 to reflect decisions taken on recommendations contained
in the Review of Management
and Services: Report to the House of Commons Commission
of July 1999 (the "Braithwaite report"). [2]
2. The
Board exercises the functions of employer of House staff on behalf
of the Commission[3] and
is responsible for ensuring that conditions of service conform
to the requirements of the House of Commons (Administration) Act
1978.
3. The
Board also has a responsibility to co-ordinate matters relating
to the services provided for the House of Commons by House departments
and to advise both the House of Commons Commission and the Finance
and Services Committee on these matters. It considers draft
estimates for expenditure on House administration before these
are submitted to the Finance and Services Committee and the
Commission. Decisions by the Board on expenditure are subject
to the control of the Clerk of the House as Accounting Officer.
4. The
Clerk of Committees was added to the Board with effect from
October 2000 in fulfilment of the Braithwaite recommendation
that the Clerk of the House, as Chief Executive, should be freed
from the responsibility of representing his own department.
The Board has continuous access to legal advice from the Legal
Services Office, headed by Speaker's Counsel (Mr John Vaux).
The Board secretariat is provided by the Office of the Clerk,
which also includes the Secretary of the Audit Committee, the
Communications Adviser and the Freedom of Information Officer.
Further
implementation of the Braithwaite recommendations
5. The
Board of Management has continued to work within the framework
recommended by the Braithwaite report, as agreed by the House
of Commons Commission. A key aspect of this has been the development
of a strategic approach to planning House services.
6. The
Board prepared a draft outline strategic plan for 2001-06 for
consideration by the Commission, which was adopted in October
2001. The Board then continued detailed work on implementation
in partnership with the Finance and Services Committee.
7. While
many of the initiatives underpinning the strategic plan are
already in progress, and are described in the course of this
report, work is continuing on the costing of larger developmental
projects that are scheduled for implementation in the middle
and later years of the planning period. These will be reflected
in the three-year financial plans to be agreed for 2003-06.
8. The
working methods of the Board and its supporting mechanisms have
been improved and streamlined along the lines recommended by
Braithwaite. The Board now receives quarterly management reports
which include financial and activity measures. Summaries of
this information, including a commentary on significant variations
against budget, are passed on to the House of Commons Commission
and the Finance and Services Committee.
9. The
system of cross-departmental committees has been overhauled
and all now take the strategic plan as their main point of reference.
Cross-departmental project structures are now in widespread
use, especially in the fields of information management and
in respect of services to the public.
10. A
new approach to business planning has been adopted. While the
six Heads of Department continue to be responsible for planning
and delivering their specialised services to the House (as described
elsewhere in this report), the Board was able to agree a corporate
approach to co-ordinating the work of the departments in fulfilment
of the strategic plan.
Security
11. Departments
have long been aware of the need to provide a secure environment
for the work of the House and to make preparations for essential
work to continue in the face of adverse conditions. Although the
threat of Thames flooding receded in the 1980s, the risk of terrorist
attack has remained and the new dependency on information technology
gives rise to additional risks. In the summer of 2001 the Board
of Management received a report from the Internal Review Service[4]
on the state of its contingency planning and the need for improvements,
especially to ensure continuity in IT systems.
A fire drill
at the Palace of Westminister
12. It
was against this background that the Board responded to the
events of 11 September 2001 by forming a new Contingency Planning
Group, which is chaired by the Serjeant at Arms and on which
all departments are represented. A draft framework for a House
of Commons Contingency Plan has been produced and individual
contingency plans are being developed to ensure continuity.
The
House of Lords
13. In
many areas of activity the House of Commons Administration works
very closely with that of the House of Lords. Three of the four
directorates under the Serjeant at Arms (Communications, Estates
and Works Services) provide services to both Houses. A range
of other units work to both Houses in areas of common concern,
including the Record Office (Parliamentary Archive) which is
managed by the House of Lords, and the Information Architecture
Support Unit. The Board of Management recognises the need for
close collaboration, while respecting the fact that the House
of Lords has its own priorities and system of governance.
What
has been achieved?
14. The
outline strategic plan adopted by the House of Commons Commission
on
29 October 2001 defines "business as usual" in terms of four
permanent core tasks of the House of Commons Service. The summaries
below highlight some of the key areas where the Board has exercised
its co-ordinating role. Detailed information about performance
may be found in the departmental annexes that follow.
SUPPORTING
THE HOUSE AND ITS COMMITTEES
15. Key
support services for this task are provided by the Clerk's and
Serjeant's Departments, by the Official Report and by the Library.
It is important to note that the House expects its core services
to be continuously available when the House is sitting and to
be reactivated at short notice at any time in the event of a
recall of Parliament (see below).
16. Overall
activity levels reflected the fact that the House was dissolved
in May 2001 for the June 2001 general election. The House sat
on 143 days (compared to 159 in 2000-01) and on 81 days (99
in 2000-01) there were sittings of the House meeting in Westminster
Hall. Levels of committee activity remained high (although lower
than last year): there were 666 formal meetings of select committees
(investigations and scrutiny) and 352 meetings of standing committees
(legislation and debates on matters referred). More information
and detail appears in the departmental annexes to this report.
17. In
two areas, 2001-02 was a particularly challenging year for the
House Service. The House was recalled three times during the
2001 summer recess: on 14 September for Members to react to
the events of 11 September; and on 4 and 8 October to debate
the international coalition against terrorism. At the very end
of the year Westminster Hall had to be prepared in the course
of a few days for the Lying in State of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,
the Queen Mother, and for the large numbers of visitors who
came to pay their respects. The House was also recalled to mark
the occasion.
18. Short-notice
emergency recalls, particularly those that occur during the
summer recess, are a challenge to staff. Works projects have
to be curtailed and rooms made fit for use. Business papers
have to be prepared within 24 hours. In all cases staff of the
House ensured continuity of service, and were thanked by the
Speaker for their efforts. Work on risk management and contingency
planning will enable departments to continue to provide similar
levels of service at short notice when required.
19. The
Service has also been managing the implications of a significant
increase in the number of written questions tabled to government
departments. These affect the Clerk's Department, the Official
Report and the Library. 47,916 written questions and 17,481
oral questions were tabled in 2001-02, compared to 34,056 and
16,264 in 2000-01.
20. The
Board intends to maintain the high standards of support provided
for the House and its Committees. It has contributed from an
administrative perspective to the Modernisation Committee's
inquiry into the reform of sitting hours and stands ready to
implement any changes that the House may decide to make.
SUPPORTING
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND THEIR STAFF
21. Key roles
here are played by the Serjeant's Department (offices and related
services, IT and communications), the Department of Finance
and Administration (salaries and allowances) and the Library
(research and information). All services are required to be
timely and appropriate to need.
22. As
noted elsewhere in this report, Members' salaries and allowances
are paid out of a separate Vote and are not the responsibility
of either the House of Commons Commission or the Board of Management.
However, payments under the Members' Vote are administered by
the Department of Finance and Administration and officials were
closely involved in implementing the changes agreed by the House
on 5 July 2001.[5]
23. With
the calling of the 2001 general election the work of the New
Members' Induction Group came to fruition. The objective was
a more comprehensive and better-coordinated induction process
for newly elected Members. All new Members were sent a 'Welcome
Pack' containing key documents such as the Members' Handbook
and the 'Green Book' on pay and allowances. At a reception area
in the Upper Waiting Hall members could find out about the work
of House departments in more detail. A series of briefings was
held.
24. A
survey of new Members carried out in January 2002 showed a high
level of satisfaction with the services provided as well as
giving some pointers for improvements in the future. A successor
group has been established to keep the Handbook up to date and
to begin planning for the next election.
PROVIDING
INFORMATION AND ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC
25. The House
provides information to the public in printed and electronic
formats, by telephone and by e-mail. Members of the public also
have access to the House to attend sittings of the House and
of Committees, to meet and lobby their MPs and, under the arrangements
for the summer opening, to view the historic Palace of Westminster.
The ongoing work of the Information Office and the Education
Unit is described in the annex on the Library. A group of senior
officials, the Group on Information for the Public, established
in January 2000, reports to the Board of Management on wider
issues of information and access, and co-ordinates initiatives
in this field.
26. The
summer guided tours of the Palace of Westminster attracted over
86,000 visitors in 2001, despite a downturn in the tourism industry,
and these are to become a permanent feature. Construction of
the new Jubilee Visitor Café took place during 2001-02
and the Speaker officially opened the new facility in May 2002
(see Commission report, paragraph 34).
27. A
new corporate design for public information materials has been
developed, to provide a more modern 'look and feel' without
any increase in annual production budgets. The new design has
been developed in close consultation with the Print Services
unit of the Vote Office and a range of users, and is aimed at
providing a flexible system which will be simple and functional
both for authors and those responsible for production; wider
implementation will continue into 2002-03. Work has started
on a glossary of Parliament, which will primarily be a database
driven research tool.
28.
A feature of the past year was the continuing decline in the
average print order for the daily edition of Hansard (the Official
Report), now down to 2,387, coupled with a remarkable 21% increase
in the usage of the electronic version on the parliamentary
website, which now sometimes exceeds 400,000 user sessions per
month. This means that reports of the proceedings of the House
and its Standing Committees are almost certainly reaching a
wider audience than ever before.
29. In
addition to this, a one-year pilot webcasting scheme was launched
in January 2002, with www.parliamentlive.tv
providing 'gavel to gavel' coverage of the chambers of both
Houses, including Westminster Hall, and a range of Select Committees.
The pilot will be evaluated towards the end of the year; meanwhile,
early audience figures suggest a strong level of interest.
30. Arrangements
and contracts for the printing and publishing of official House
documents are monitored by the Printing and Publishing Management
Group (PPMG). The membership of the Group currently comprises
the Clerk Assistant as chairman, the Director of Finance and
Administration, the Editor of the Official Report, the Clerk
of the Journals, the Director of Information Systems of the
Library and the Deliverer of the Vote. During the financial
year the Group held two contract performance review meetings
with the relevant managers of the Stationery Office Ltd (tSO).
31. Several
members of the Group were also involved in the Vote Bundle Project,
the aim of which is progressively to originate data for the
different elements of the bundle in electronic form, under the
direct control of the House. The basic hardware and software
systems for this purpose have been established, and Early Day
Motions have been produced by the new process since the beginning
of the present Parliament in June 2001. Detailed software development
for the Questions phase of the project is proceeding, with a
view to full initiation of that phase in November 2002. A contract
with tSO for the provision of the necessary inputting staff,
on a facility management basis, was agreed during the course
of the year.
32. During
the process of agreeing final settlement of the printing charges
payable in respect of financial year 2000-01, deficiencies became
evident in the complex charging formulae in the House's contracts
with tSO, which are intended to smooth out the financial consequences
for either party of abnormally high or low workloads from one
year to another. The formulae were not achieving the intended
result because average workload ranges for the different document
categories had altered significantly since the contracts were
originally drafted. Following negotiations with tSO under the
contractual change control procedure, revised page ranges have
now been agreed. These revisions will not, in themselves, have
any adverse effect on the House's financial projections. But
the generally increased page count that has been experienced
since the general election, particularly in respect of questions,
will if sustained inevitably have an impact on the charges payable
under the printing contract.
33. The
Office of the Clerk continues to act as a central point of contact
for media enquiries, and all departments now make use of the
advice and support available for domestic and corporate issues.
A strategy to enhance the media coverage of Select Committee
work is now being implemented, and a broader strategy for corporate
and domestic issues is under development.
34. Two
additional staff have been appointed as part of the work to
achieve the House's objective of providing better public information
and access: a Communications Officer, supporting the Communications
Adviser, commenced work in October 2001, followed by a Web Content
Manager in January 2002.
MAINTAINING
THE HERITAGE OF BUILDINGS, OBJECTS AND DOCUMENTS
35. Responsibility
in this area lies primarily with the Serjeant's Department (for
buildings), the Record Office and the Library. The Palace of
Westminster has to be maintained to a standard consistent with
its status as a Grade I listed building and world heritage site.
Officials of the House also work closely with the Speaker's
Advisory Committee on Works of Art.
SUPPORT
FUNCTIONS
36. All
four core tasks involve the management of staff and of financial
resources. Members, their staff and visitors, and staff of the
House also require refreshment and a range of other facilities.
While some services are provided by outside agencies (e.g. the
Travel Office), a wide range of "back office" services, ranging
from internal audit to fire safety advice, are provided by staff
of the House. Detailed accounts of these services may be found
in the separate annexes recording the work of the Serjeant's
Department, the Refreshment Department and the Department of
Finance and Administration.
37. The
new refreshment outlets in Portcullis House have been highly
successful, but the Board of Management is aware that there
are still major problems of congestion at peak times in refreshment
facilities in general and is co-operating with the Catering
Committee, which is carrying out a review of access and congestion.
Plans
for the future
38. The
strategic plan, as agreed by the House of Commons Commission,
requires the Board of Management to oversee the further development
of infrastructure and resources in eight areas:
PROVIDING
SERVICES THAT MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE HOUSE
39. Departments
of the House will continue to adapt the services they offer
to the House and the Board will co-ordinate where necessary.
In particular, during the coming year, the Board will monitor
the recommendations of the Modernisation Committee and consider
their implications for House staff and services. The Board also
intends to oversee in 2003 an independently conducted survey
of the needs and views of Members, Members' staff and staff
of the House of the work of the administration. The last similar
survey was conducted in 1999. During 2002-03 each department
will draw up a succinct statement of the services that it currently
provides and the levels of service that it seeks to meet.
MANAGING
THE PARLIAMENTARY ESTATE
40. The Accommodation
Strategy Working Group (ASWG) has recently reviewed the House
of Commons current and potential future demands for accommodation.
The present accommodation available for the House is the result
of a number of decisions taken over recent years. When the House
gave approval to build Portcullis House it was envisaged that
this would lead to a situation in which sufficient accommodation
would be available for Members and all other occupants. Since
then requirements and, in particular Members' expectations,
have changed.
41. The
Serjeant at Arms, as Accommodation Officer for the House of
Commons and chairman of the ASWG, has commissioned a consultancy
to assist him to conduct a comprehensive review of the House
of Commons areas of the Parliamentary Estate and to develop
an accommodation strategy for the period 2003-08 in order to
make the best use of current assets.
COMPLIANCE WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNANCE
42. Responsibility
in this area lies with the Clerk of the House as Accounting
Officer (advised by the Audit Committee), with the Board of
Management and the Department of Finance and Administration.
Much of the preparatory work for the Board is done by the Business
Planning Group (BPG), which is chaired by the Director of Finance
Policy.
43. The
Board of Management has followed closely the application of
the Turnbull principles to central government and public sector
agencies. It has decided, with the support of the Audit Committee,
to introduce equivalent internal control and risk management
frameworks throughout the House Administration. This will allow
managers to identify, assess and control the risks most likely
to prevent the achievement of the strategic objectives and affect
the delivery of services to Members and the House. It will also
enable the Accounting Officer to receive and sign a full statement
of internal control (covering all operational activities and
not just financial activities), similar to those prepared elsewhere
in both Central Government organisations and the wider public
sector, by the end of 2002-03.
44. Resource
accounting and budgeting was introduced and a detailed timetable
agreed with the National Audit Office to ensure that accounts
were prepared within the required timescales. The 2001-02 accounts,
to be published later this year, will be the first issued resource
accounts for the House of Commons. Information about assets
and stocks was compiled and will form an integral part of the
final set of accounts.
45. The
House planning cycle is such that the financial year 2001-02
saw the approval of 3-year financial plans for 2002-05 and of
an Estimate for 2002-03, but also the beginning of the next
business planning exercise, which will roll the process forward,
informed by decisions on the strategic plan. One of the key
priorities throughout the year was to ensure that planning focused
on meeting the needs of the House as efficiently and effectively
as possible. A resource investment strategy, for the planning
of capital expenditure, is being developed.
46. The
Business Planning Group set a timetable for the preparation
and review of departmental business plans and issued guidance
on the content and format of plans so that they were clearly
focused on achieving corporate strategic objectives. The Group
reviewed the draft plans in detail, in particular to ensure
consistency for cross-departmental projects and initiatives.
47. The
Group is also responsible for developing and implementing corporate
financial and procurement policies to ensure that the House
complies with the highest standards of public sector governance.
48. The
Board of Management agreed to the appointment of a Director
of Procurement for the House in February 2001, and an interim
director was appointed in March 2001. He undertook a review
of procurement activity within the House, recommended the setting
up of a corporate procurement directorate within the Department
of Finance and Administration and began a review of current
contracts and major areas of risk within the House.
TO
ACHIEVE DEMONSTRABLE VALUE FOR MONEY
49. All major
new investments are subject to a rigorous business case analysis
and post-implementation review. The Board of Management will
continue to use project or programme management techniques
wherever appropriate. The Board was gratified by the conclusion
of the Comptroller and Auditor General that the House had
achieved value for money in the project to construct Portcullis
House and will take account of the detailed recommendations
of the National Audit Office in relation to future construction
projects.
50. The
Business Planning Group made proposals for building corporate
effectiveness measures linked to each of the four permanent
core tasks of the House of Commons Service. Further work will
be done on indicators that departments can use to monitor their
contribution towards these core tasks. However, any system of
performance measurement must recognise that the work of the
House of Commons Service is so closely meshed with political
processes, for which officials are not responsible, that the
outcomes cannot be readily measured separately nor would
it be appropriate for the activities of the House to be judged
in that way. The Board of Management monitors these aspects
of performance by other means, for example by periodic surveys
of Members, by regular contact between senior staff and Members,
through individual performance appraisal and by matching the
use of training, mentoring, and quality assurance to the assessment
of risks.
51. For
other aspects of value for money work, see the reports of the
Audit Committee and of the Department of Finance and Administration.
TO
BE DEMONSTRABLY COMMITTED TO EMPLOYMENT BEST PRACTICE AND DIVERSITY
52. House-wide
human resource issues are co-ordinated by the Human Resources
Group (HRG). The Group also forms the official management side
of the General Purposes Sub-Committee which met the Trade Union
side twice during the year.
53. HRG's
main role is to develop a strategic approach to human resource
issues, in line with the corporate strategic plan. The aim
is to provide the House with a motivated and committed workforce
and to be demonstrably committed to employment best practice
and diversity. The group plans and co-ordinates new initiatives
and shares best practice across departments.
54. One
of the main initiatives over the year was the development of
an internal communications strategy. A consultant was engaged
to run discussion seminars with groups of staff in order to
understand current practice and future needs. A programme of
activities is planned for the coming year to improve and develop
internal communications and to encourage mutual support and
shared learning between departments.
55. A
key element of the Group's future work programme is the development
of a plan to increase the diversity of House staff. A number
of activities are already in place, such as equal opportunities
training for all staff, recruitment monitoring and work experience
schemes, targeted at under-represented groups. HRG has recently
initiated a study into staff childcare needs and supported proposals
to run a summer holiday playscheme.
56. All
of the House departments have now achieved Investors in People
(IiP) accreditation, and the Board of Management plans to work
towards accreditation on a House-wide basis over the coming
year. Many of the IiP objectives relate to personnel issues,
and HRG ensures that these are reflected where necessary in
its other initiatives, through its Investors in People Working
Group.
57. The
Human Resources Group works with the Department of Finance and
Administration on the development and implementation of all
aspects of personnel policy, including training, occupational
health, safety and welfare and data protection. Details may
be found in the report of the Department.
58. The
programme of work for 2002-03 will focus on implementing the
internal communications strategy, developing a plan to increase
diversity of House staff and preparations for gaining House-wide
IiP accreditation.
TO
IMPROVE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORK OF THE
HOUSE AND TO INCREASE ITS ACCESSIBILITY
59. The
public information and access theme in the Commission's strategic
plan is primarily the responsibility of the Group on Information
for the Public (GIP). Market research carried out for the Group
early in 2002 illustrated the need to continue improving the
services provided to the public. Areas singled out for particular
emphasis include: further improvements to the website; consolidation
of the currently fragmented approach to visitors and tours;
and exploring the scope for partnership with other organisations
working in related fields.
60. Plans
for 2002-03 include an independent feasibility study of options
for an Information and Visitor Centre and examination of options
for a permanent Visitor Management Office. There are also plans
for development of new public information printed materials
and web content. There will be a review of access for disabled
people to information and services and another of the House's
photographic collections. The webcasting pilot will be evaluated
and recommendations made for the future. The Select Committee
media strategy will be reviewed.
61. The
Board of Management has also initiated a review of retailing
and merchandising activities. These include the sale of books
and souvenirs at various outlets. The demand for souvenirs is
linked to the summer opening of the Palace of Westminster and
the new Jubilee Visitor Café. The review will also look
at the scope for souvenirs linked to the parliamentary collection
of works of art.
62. A
Freedom of Information Officer was appointed in 2001, to work
with a group of officials in order to ensure that the House
makes the necessary preparations for the implementation of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. The main focus of the work
this year has been on the preparation of a publication scheme
which sets out the classes of information published by the House.
It is a requirement of the Act that this scheme is in place
by November 2002. The other key priority has been to put in
place measures to improve records management in each department,
so that information can be retrieved efficiently when necessary.
Work will continue over the coming months to prepare for the
implementation of individual rights of access in January 2005.
MAINTAINING
AND DEVELOPING AN INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
63. Information
strategy forms a fundamental plank of the strategic plan adopted
by the House of Commons Commission. Information technology
and systems have become vital to the everyday work of the
House. Much of the work sponsored by the Board of Management
in the past year has been directed towards the strategic objective
to support the business processes of the House at all levels
by developing and maintaining an information infrastructure
that is unified, consistent, seamless, and easily accessed
by, and appropriate to the needs of, the various user communities.
64. The
objective is pursued in close partnership with the administration
of the House of Lords. Officials of the two Houses have for
some years collaborated closely through the Information Technology
Strategy Board which monitors the shared network infrastructure
and oversees projects in this area. Two major projects were
agreed during 2001-02 and are now entering an implementation
phase that will continue into 2002-03: the core operating system
and directory service is in the process of migration to Microsoft's
Windows 2000 and Advanced Directory Services; and, subject to
successful implementation of the new operating system, a virtual
local area network for critical services, such as the Official
Report and the Vote Bundle, will become operational in 2003.
65. Sustained
investment will be needed to ensure that the infrastructure
remains secure, resilient and suitably supported. Capacity planning
will become critical to the performance of the network as new
IS and IT services are deployed and more users are connected.
As an illustration the number of PDVN users increased
by 20% during 2001-02, with 5,172 connected as of April 2002.
E-mail traffic grew by 44% and now exceeds 1,000,000 items per
month (see Commission report paragraph 29).
66. This
work is complemented in the area of systems and applications
by an Information Systems Group which also now spans both Houses.
While differences remain between the needs of the two Houses
and between some applications, one of the achievements of the
past year has been the development and adoption of a combined
Commons/Lords information strategy that envisages the introduction
of a common user interface (or "gateway") to parliamentary systems
and information services, underpinned by a framework for interoperability
and coherent information systems.
67. The
new parliament-wide framework, once established, will enable
locally defined systems to meet corporate needs. Hence the need
for "standards" (including XML) and an information architecture
that allows information to be shared efficiently between departments
and offices. A small Information Architecture Support Unit (IASU)
has been set up jointly with the House of Lords to carry this
work forward.
68. Two
major projects are now at an advanced stage of planning. The
Parliamentary Information Management Services project (PIMS)
is intended to build on the foundation of the present POLIS
service, which is managed by the Commons Library, to expand
the range of information readily available to users within and
outside Parliament. It will assist the public by presenting
information in a structured way that does not presuppose knowledge
of parliamentary processes. In the meantime, a more limited
redesign of the internet site (www.parliament.uk)
has been undertaken in conjunction with the House of Lords and
is due to take effect in 2002-03. This will make it more attractive
and usable for the casual enquirer as well as for the specialist.
69. A
second major project is for the "House Administrative Information
System", at present limited to the Commons but with the potential
to be exploited by both Houses. It will replace existing financial
and human resource management systems and permit some functions
to be devolved to the departments and offices that use them.
Implementation will be by stages during 2002-04.
THE
OPTION OF ELECTRONIC DELIVERY
70. In common
with other organisations in the public and private sectors,
the House of Commons already relies on electronic media to deliver
some of its services and is looking at new areas where service
levels might be improved by the option of electronic delivery.
The Board of Management will closely monitor proposals for aspects
of "e-democracy" and build these into its future plans. The
plans described in the previous section have been drawn up with
such developments in mind.
71. Last
year's report referred to the establishment of a PPMG sub-group
(the Electronic Publishing Review Group) to review the arrangements
for electronic publishing which were established following the
First Report of the Information Committee, Session 1995-96.
The review group's full and helpful report, submitted to PPMG
at the end of the 2001 summer recess, concluded that, despite
the rapid development of technology in this area, the arrangements
established in 1996 had stood the test of time and there was
no need for the sort of fundamental revisions that would require
further reference to the Information Committee. But the report
made two specific recommendations: first, that documents should
appear on the Parliamentary website not only in (searchable)
HTML format but also in PDF format (which enables a document
to be downloaded in a form identical to the published version);
and secondly, that the process of applying for a licence to
reproduce parliamentary material should be simplified and, at
least in straightforward cases, should be handled through an
electronic ("click-use") facility of the kind developed for
Government documents by HMSO, the copyright and licensing agent
for the two Houses. HMSO is currently investigating the feasibility
and possible cost of extending the facility to parliamentary
material.
72. The
proposal about electronic publication in PDF format has been
discussed with Her Majesty's Stationery Office (because of its
implications for the electronic publication
of Government
documents) and with tSO (because of its potential implications
for sales of printed versions of the House's documents). Following
a detailed assessment of the costs, publication of select committee
reports in PDF format was due to begin in June 2002.
Willliam McKay
CHAIRMAN OF
THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
1 At 31 March 2002. Back
2 HC 74 of 1998-99. Back
3 With the exception of a small
number of specified posts and subject to the procedures agreed by
both sides of the Whitley Committe. Back
4 Part of the Department of Finance
and Administration Back
5 Following a report by the senior
Salaries Review Body (SSRB). Back
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