Conclusions and recommendations
Consistent Management
1. With
these constant changes there is a danger of inconsistent policy
development, management and reporting. (Paragraph 6)
Public Service Agreements
2. To
improve accountability, performance data published in ODPM Annual
Reports, Autumn Performance Reports and on the Treasury website
should explicitly state where current targets have replaced earlier
targets and when the original target was agreed and what progress
was made in the period between. (Paragraph 9)
3. Circumstances beyond
ODPM's control may mean targets need to be redefined but there
should be a presumption against rolling forward and replacing
current targets. It is preferable to create an additional PSA
target than to roll forward and replace an existing one. (Paragraph
10)
Achieving Targets
4. It
is unacceptable that we still have such limited indication of
what the target is supposed to measure. ODPM should prioritise
the development of proxy indicators for the regional economic
performance target and continue to apply pressure to the Office
of National Statistics to produce timely, complete and reliable
data on regional gross value added per head. (Paragraph 11)
5. The Committee is
concerned that every aspect of a target's definition should be
finalised and published before they come into force. The definition
and measurement of performance indicators should also be complete
at the same time. ODPM should identify at the earliest possible
stage when interim measurements are needed and develop these within
the same deadline. In such cases final measurements should always
be applied retrospectively. (Paragraph 12)
Complexity of Targets
6. There
is a danger that overly complex targets will result in delays
before any actual performance data is produced, meaning that reports
of progress will initially focus on descriptions of process. Progress
reports on PSA targets should primarily focus on what the targets
are meant to measure. (Paragraph 14)
7. For the 2004 PSA
targets ODPM should consider targets that are simpler and easier
to understand, even if it results in an increase in their number.
ODPM should give more attention to the definition, measurement
and presentation of targets before they are agreed. An outline
plan for presentation of progress in the Annual Report and Autumn
Performance Report should be included in the first version of
the Service Delivery Agreement after the targets are agreed. If
PSAs are too complex, there is a danger that the overall objective
to provide better public services becomes secondary to devising
targets and monitoring which becomes an end in itself. (Paragraph
15)
Fire Service Targets
8. We
urge the ODPM to outline in the next Autumn Performance Report
their reasons for replacing the arson and fire-related deaths
in the home targets. Where targets are changed to make them achievable
ODPM should, as a matter of course, give a full explanation in
the subsequent Annual Report and Autumn Performance Report of
why the original targets would not be met. (Paragraph 16)
Presentation of the Annual Report
9. Information
in the 2004 Annual Report should be included under a series of
headings that are comprehensive and are used consistently for
each section. (Paragraph 17)
10. Next year's Annual
Report should contain a table of spending by objective and PSA
target over the period of the spending review. Individual chapters
should contain consistently presented tables that give more detailed
information on spending. (Paragraph 18)
Underspend
11. We
welcome the reduction in ODPM's underspend, but it still remains
too large. We expect the ODPM to set a more challenging target
to reduce underspends in total and set a level that each individual
programme area must not exceed. This combined with the view that
spending additional funding will be a 'challenge' will not help
ODPM achieve the best possible settlement from the 2004 Comprehensive
Spending Review. (Paragraph 20)
Meeting Targets on Planning Reforms
12. The
proposal to introduce a tariff on a voluntary basis requires extensive
discussion but having dithered for months, the Government has
only allowed a severely limited consultation period. (Paragraph
22)
13. The failure to
deliver on commitments to reform the planning system by issuing
wholesale revised guidance notes, has led to uncertainty and delays
in planning decisions because of impending revisions to policies.
We recommend that the Department redoubles its effort to complete
the revision of national planning policy, and supporting good
practice advice, where necessary, by July 2005. The ODPM would
do well formally to withdraw its stated intention to revise the
less controversial Planning Policy Guidance Notes. (Paragraph
25)
Cross-departmental working to promote housing
development
14. The
new housebuilding targets in the South East cannot be progressed
without the funding commitments from all the relevant Government
departments. (Paragraph 27)
15. ODPM funds are
likely to be used to make up the shortfall in allocations by other
departments. Other departments should be required to give similar
funding priority to areas suffering from low demand. (Paragraph
28)
Ordnance Survey
16. The
Ordnance Survey urgently requires a new Framework to ensure that
its data is easily accessible and is widely used. It must give
The Ordnance
Survey urgently requires a new Framework to ensure that its data
is easily accessible and is widely used. It must give priority
to producing this framework. (Paragraph 29)
| 
