Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs First Special Report

Annex 1: Defra's Aim, Objectives and Public Service Agreement Targets

Aim

Sustainable development, which means a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come, including:

• a better environment at home and internationally, and sustainable use of natural resources;
• economic prosperity through sustainable farming, fishing, food, water and other industries that meet consumers' requirements;
• thriving economies and communities in rural areas and a countryside for all to enjoy.

Objectives and performance targets

PSA target 1. Promote sustainable development across Government and the country as a whole as measured by achieving positive trends in the Government's headline indicators of sustainable development.

Defra Objective I: Protect and improve the rural, urban, marine and global environment, and to lead integration of these with other policies across Government and internationally.

PSA target 2: Improve the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources, including through the use of energy saving technologies, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5% from 1990 levels and moving towards a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

PSA target 3: Care for our natural heritage, make the countryside attractive and enjoyable for all, and preserve biological diversity by:

• reversing the long­term decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020, as measured annually against underlying trends;
• bringing into favourable condition by 2010 95% of all nationally important wildlife sites; and
• opening up public access to mountain, moor, heath and down and registered common land by the end of 2005.

Defra Objective 2: Enhance opportunity and tackle social exclusion in rural areas.

PSA target 4: Reduce the gap in productivity between the least well performing quartile of rural areas and the English median by 2006, and improve the accessibility of services for rural people.

Defra Objective 3: To promote a sustainable, competitive and safe food supply chain which meets consumers' requirements.

Defra Objective 4: Promote sustainable, diverse, modern and adaptable farming through domestic and international actions.

PSA target 5. Deliver more customer­focused, competitive and sustainable food and farming as measured by the increase in agriculture's gross value added per person excluding support payments; and secure CAP reforms that reduce production­linked support, enabling enhanced EU funding for environmental conservation and rural development.

Defra Objective 5: Promote sustainable management and prudent use of natural resources domestically and internationally.

PSA target 6: Enable 25% of household waste to be recycled or composted by 2005/6.

PSA target 7: Reduce fuel poverty among vulnerable households by improving the energy efficiency of 600,000 homes between 2001 and 2004.

Defra Objective 6: Protect the public's interest in relation to environmental impacts and health and ensure high standards of animal health and welfare.

PSA target 8: Improve air quality by meeting our National Air Quality Strategy objectives for carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulphur dioxide, benzene and 1­3 butadiene. (Joint target with DfT)

PSA target 9. Protect public health and ensure high standards of animal welfare by reducing:

• the annual incidence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) to less than 30 cases by 2006; and
• the time taken to clear up cases of poor welfare in farmed animals by 5% by March 2004.

Value for Money

PSA target 10: Achieve a reduction of 10% of the unit cost of administering CAP payments by 2004/05 and an increase to 95% electronic service delivery capability for such payments by 31 March 2005.

Who is responsible for delivery?

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for the delivery of this PSA. The Secretary of State for Transport is jointly responsible for the delivery of target 8. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry contributes to the delivery of target 2.

EFRA Select Committee Report into the Role of Defra
Recommendation (n)
Breakdown of number of staff employed and the number of vacancies in each Directorate and Agency
Organisational Unit	Permanent		Casual		Vacancies
	HC	FTE	HC	FTE	FTE
Core­Defra ­ Directorate
Animal Health	756	734.54	9	9.00	30.00
Climate, Energy & Environmental Risk	128	126.67	0	0.00	23.00
Communications	104	102.62	15	15.00	4.00
Corporate Services	579	563.96	23	22.08	22.00
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer (Policy)	247	244.53	4	4.00	0.00
E­Business	315	290.00	7	6.61	60.50
Economics & Statistics	170	165.91	2	2.00	10.00
Environment Protection Strategy	137	136.40	5	5.00	5.00
Environment Quality & Waste	132	127.76	5	5.00	8.00
European Union & International Policy	61	60.70	0	0.00	7.00
Finance, Planning & Resources	238	231.84	12	12.00	7.00
Fisheries	212	200.17	4	3.68	3.00
FMD Operations	122	120.23	161	158.08	0.00
Food Industry & Crops	376	364.03	1	1.00	5.00
Land Management & Rural Development	196	193.90	1	1.00	12.00
Legal	138	135.21	7	7.00	5.00
Policy & Corporate Strategy Unit	41	39.91	4	4.00	2.00
Rural Development Service	1,419	1355.64	145	141.47	27.50
Rural Economies & Communities	42	42.00	1	1.00	10.00
Science	111	108.53	5	5.00	3.00
Secretariat	67	66.92	9	9.00	5.00
State Veterinary Service	1,218	1154.81	162	158.95	83.50
Sustainable Agriculture & Livestock Products	107	105.74	1	1.00	7.00
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies	88	87.34	1	1.00	0.00
Water	125	123.79	2	2.00	13.50
Wildlife, Countryside & Flood Management	199	192.76	0	0.00	6.00
Total Core­Defra	7328	7075.91	586	574.87	359.00
Executive Agencies
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science	541	513.87	10	8.51	21.00
Central Science Laboratory	660	639.39	52	49.05	19.00
Pesticides Safety Directorate	183	176.07	4	4.00	4.00
Rural Payments Agency	2941	2836.03	400	397.09	0.00
Veterinary Laboratories Agency	1,319	1255.39	39	36.20	103.00
Veterinary Medicines Directorate	121	117.05	0	0.00	24.50
Total Executive Agencies	5765	5537.8	505	494.85	171.50
Total Defra	13,093	12,614	1,091	1,070	530.50
Note: HC = Head Count; FTE = Full Time Equivalent
EXPLANATORY COMMENTS
Core­Defra HC and FTE figures ­ as at 22.11.02
Core Defra Vacancies ­ as at 25.11.02
PSD, VLA and VMD Executive Agencies HC and FTE figures ­ as at 22.11.02
All other Executive Agencies HC and FTE figures ­ as at 1.11.02
PSD Executive Agencies Vacancies ­ as at 25.11.02
All other Executive Agencies Vacancies ­ latest available figures as at 5.12.02
NB. Staff profiles and vacancy numbers are likely to change following the 2003/04 business planning process

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Prepared 28 January 2003