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Coal Authority
The Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services (Mr. Stephen Timms): I have today laid a copy of the Coal Authority report and accounts for 2002–03 before Parliament.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Executive Agencies
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Andrew Smith): I have today laid before Parliament the 2002–03 annual reports and accounts for each of our four executive agencies: Jobcentre Plus (HC 981), The Pension Service (HC 790), Child Support Agency (HC 844) and Appeals Service (HC 792).
I am pleased to be able to announce today additional performance targets in respect of the customer facing businesses of the Department for Work and Pensions: Jobcentre Plus, The Pension Service, Child Support Agency and Disability and Carers Directorate.
In line with the Department's public service agreement we are committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our services. In order to demonstrate this, we are developing a range of unit cost and other efficiency targets. The full implementation of these targets is dependent on the implementation of a new suite of accounting and resource management systems.
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In the meantime, to demonstrate our continuing commitment to driving down the costs of our services, I am announcing a series of interim targets that use a basic measure of the unit costs of the services we provide to customers.
Details of the targets are in the table.
| Cost Category | Target |
|---|---|
| Jobcentre Plus | |
| Job placementsStaff cost per job point(1) | £64.60 |
| Benefit processing activityStaff cost per transaction | £10.20 |
| The Pension Service | |
| Staff cost per customer | £25.00 |
| Child Support Agency | |
| Staff cost per live case | £184.00 |
| Disability and Carers | |
| Staff cost per customer contact | £138.00 |
Note:
(1) Jobcentre Plus has a performance measure that awards a different number of points for the job placement of different groups of the population with a greater number of points for those that it is more difficult to find work.
CABINET OFFICE
Public Bodies
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses copies of the latest edition of the annual Cabinet Office Publication, Public Bodies. This publication, available in pdf format, has been placed upon the Cabinet Office's agencies and Public Bodies Team website, http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies/.
Public Bodies 2003 is the latest in a series of publications providing information on public bodies sponsored by Government.
In addition to giving details of the remit of the public bodies, the publication also provides information about the membership of the boards of public bodies, including the numbers of women, people with disabilities and minority ethnic members.
Departments continue to work hard to increase the number of appointees from currently under-represented groups to achieve equal representation of women and men, pro rata representation of members of minority ethnic groups and increased participation of disabled people. As at 31 March 2003, 35.7 per cent. of appointments to public bodies were held by women, 5.3 per cent. by people with a minority ethnic background and 3.1 per cent. by disabled people.
The publication also includes information about the Government's task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews, giving a more complete picture of the bodies and groups working to deliver the Government's objectives.
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Public Services (Inspection and External Review)
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): The last few years have seen a rapid expansion in the scope and depth of inspection and external review. In December 2001, the Public Services Productivity Panel published its report on the Role of External Review in Improving Performance and called for further work into the focus and impact of inspection and external review. I have today published Inspecting for improvement: developing a customer focused approach, the report of this further study, which was carried out by the Office of Public Services Reform in close co-operation with the Treasury.
The report concludes that inspection and external review play an important role in providing assurance on the delivery of national standards and in holding organisations to account for their performance. Inspection should also act as a catalyst for change and service improvement.
The report recommends that the Government should set out its policy for inspection and external review. I am publishing the policy today. Key principles underpinning it are the pursuit of service improvement, a focus on outcomes and taking a user perspective, inspection in proportion to risk, collaboration and joint working between inspectorates, openness and reporting in public, continually learning from experience and improving value for money and effectiveness.
The report also recommends that the Government should establish a mechanism for ensuring better strategic direction of inspection activity. On 3 July, the Prime Minister announced a new sub-committee of Cabinet for this purpose. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury will chair it.
The report makes a number of recommendations for departments and inspectorates. Departments should take the lead in managing inspection and external review in their areas, clarifying roles, responsibilities and priorities, setting standards and requiring and facilitating collaboration between inspectorates. Inspectorates should operate within the Government's strategic framework for inspection and external review, providing advice to departments on improving service delivery, working with other inspectorates and gauging their impact and cost effectiveness.
I have arranged for copies of the report and the policy to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Civil Service Recruitment
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): The eighth annual Civil Service Fast Stream Report was published on-line http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/reports/faststream and a stock of summary flyers placed in the Libraries of the House. It covers the year from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, and reports the results of Fast Stream competitions completed during that period and the developments that have taken place.
The standard of entry to the Fast Stream development programme has remained consistently high and the Report shows that the Civil Service has had
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increasing success in filling its vacancies. In addition there has again been steady progress in broadening the diversity of Fast Stream recruits.
- Women and men applied in equal numbers, with women being marginally more successful overall.
Both the proportions of candidates recruited from ethnic minority groups and of those recording a disability rose again this year.
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- We are gradually improving the percentage of recruits from universities from which we have not traditionally recruited.
Central Office of Information
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander): Copies of the Central Office of Information's Annual Report and Accounts have been today laid before Parliament, and copies placed in the Libraries of both Houses.