9 May 2006 : Column 5WS

9 May 2006 : Column 5WS

Written Ministerial Statements

Tuesday 9 May 2006

Defence

Defence Storage and Distribution Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency for financial year 2006-07. Key targets are as follows:

Key Target 1

To meet the customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in business agreements (BAs). This key target is broken down into the following sub-targets:

Key Target 2

KT2 is an efficiency measure for continuous performance improvement to achieve a 2.5 per cent. (net of 2.5 per cent. inflation factor) reduction in the unit cost of output (UCO) in financial year 2005-06 (based on financial year 2004-05) while maintaining an effective level of services to the customers in accordance with the business agreements (BAs).

Key Target 3

The value of inventory written off as a result of DSDA's actions to be less than the levels agreed within each business agreement (BA). This key target is broken down into the following sub-targets:

DTMA

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of DTMA for financial year 2006-07.

The targets are as follows:

Key Target 1

To achieve at least a “Satisfactory” rating in the provision of planning and delivery of transport and
9 May 2006 : Column 6WS
movements support to emerging operations, an increase in the tempo of existing operations or other requirements.

Key Target 2

To achieve at least a “Satisfactory” rating in the planning and delivery of transport and movements support to enduring operations.

Key Target 3

To provide roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessel capability at the readiness states required.

Key Target 4

To meet customers' requirements as negotiated and agreed in customer supplier agreements (CSAs) to deliver:

Key Target 5

To reduce the average unit cost of output by 1 per cent. on the actual unit cost achieved in 2005-06, in real terms.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency for the financial year 2006-07. The targets are as follows:

Key Target 1—Quality: Achieve less than 15 attributable major customer concerns annually, on average FY 04-05—06-07.

Key Target 2—Financial Performance: Achieve an annual return on capital employed of at least 3.5 per cent. (excluding DARA's fast jet and engines businesses)

Key Target 3—Business Transformation: Carry out the actions by April 2007 that are required to effectively drawdown DARA's fast jet and engines businesses

Key Target 4—Efficiency: Improve overall efficiency by at least 6 per cent. (excluding DARA's fast jet and engines businesses).

Disposal Services Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of DSA for financial year 2006-07. The targets are as follows:

Key Target 1

To achieve a disposal sales income of £63 million from sales of surplus Government-owned equipment and repayment business.


9 May 2006 : Column 7WS

Key Target 2

To meet the key performance standards agreed with DSA's customers and specified in internal business agreements and in customer supplier agreements with other public bodies.

Key Target 3

To ensure that the agency is at, or above the standard of the public sector Benchmarking report for overall customer satisfaction. The agency should achieve a level of current satisfied customers of at least 90 per cent. and very satisfied customers of at least 25 per cent.

Key Target 4

To demonstrate value recovery from 70 per cent. of surplus arisings handled by DSA through resale, recycling, composting or energy generation (or any other accepted method of landfill avoidance).

Key Target 5

To keep within an agency administration cost of £6 million for financial year 2006-07.

British Forces Post Office

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): The key targets have been set for the chief executive of BFPO for the financial year 2006-07. The targets are as follows:

a. Key Target 1. To provide a 100 per cent. secure defence courier service (DCS) for the carriage of protectively marked material (PMM). This target is broken down into the following sub targets:

b. Key Target 2. To provide a secure defence courier service for the carriage of Protectively Marked Material (PMM) operating within timescales for scheduled and special items, at not less than 98.7 per cent. of that agreed with customers.

c. Key Target 3. To provide a resilient and dependable service for the controlled and specialised handling of Defence Official Mails by operating at least 96 per cent. of deliveries within scheduled timings, agreed with customers.

d. Key Target 4. To meet 96 per cent. of the requirements negotiated and agreed with customers for the transit times for delivery and collection at defence mail centres (DMCs). This target is broken down into the following sub targets:


9 May 2006 : Column 8WS

e. Key Target 5. To meet 95 per cent. of the agreed customer requirement for the movement of private and official mails from BFPO London to authorised overseas destinations within agreed timescales. This target is broken down into the following sub targets:

f. Key Target 6. Total year-on-year direct RDEL cost growth to be no more than defence inflation less 1 per cent. This is an efficiency measure for continuous improvement while maintaining an effective level of service to our customers in accordance with the service level agreements.

Defence Analytical Services Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) for the financial year 2006-07. The targets, which build on the already high standards of service provided by the agency since its formation in 1992, are as follows:

Key Target 1: Support our MOD policy and decision making customers by meeting at least 95 per cent. of the timeliness and quality targets in our service level and project agreements, and by scoring at least 90 per cent. in our customer satisfaction survey.

Key Target 2: Increase DASA's support for policy and decision making within MOD by delivering five key new products and/or services.

Key Target 3: Support the Department's accountability by publishing the five key national statistics on time, with no major errors and in accordance with national statistics guidelines and protocols, by meeting at least 95 per cent. of the timeliness and quality targets for other defence national statistics, and by meeting timeliness targets for answering parliamentary questions.

Key Target 4: Develop and agree, by end July 2006, a DASA information strategy; implement actions planned under that strategy for 2006-07

Key Target 5: Make sufficient efficiency gains to ensure DASA can implement and manage the new DASA JPA personnel data system

Defence Communication Services Agency

The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence(Mr. Adam Ingram): Key targets have been set for the chief executive of the DCSA for financial year 2006-07 as follow:


9 May 2006 : Column 9WS

DCSA Key Targets for FY 2006-07


9 May 2006 : Column 10WS

Title

Details

Target

KT 1 - SERVICE ASSURANCE

The single Agency measure of performance against Customer Supplier Agreements (CSAs).

To meet an average of 98% for measured services against the performance targets agreed in Agency CSAs

KT 2 - SERVICE AVAILABILITY

The measurement of the availability of operational services to customers.

To achieve an average service availability of 98% for operational and business critical services.

KT 3 - SERVICE RESTORATION

The measurement of the Agency's service restoration performance.

To restore an average 98% of interrupted services within negotiated timelines agreed to in CSAs.

KT 4 - EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT

The measurement of the reduction in the average unit cost of output.

To achieve an improvement in efficiency by reducing the average unit cost of output by 2.5% over 2005-06 costs.

KT5 - PROJECT DELIVERY

The measurement of the Agency's effectiveness in introducing major complex projects

More than 92% of new projects will meet their time, cost and performance targets.


Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr. Ben Bradshaw): My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on 25 April 2006.

The Council adopted a proposal to broaden the scope of the current provision for exceptional measures in the poultry meat and eggs sectors to help them through a drop in sales caused by consumer fears about avian influenza. I supported the proposals but stressed that the measures should be limited in time and in budget. The Commission tabled a declaration saying that measures already adopted by member states would be considered for co-financing on a case-by-case basis, and that serious market disturbance would be defined at EU, not member state level.

The Council held an exchange of views on a Commission Communication on improving the economic situation in the fishing industry which proposed a range of short and long term measures. I led calls from several member states that measures should deliver a profitable industry which can pay for its own investments and which was characterised by fleet capacity to match available resources.

The Council also held an exchange of views on the Commission's action plan for simplifying the Common Fisheries Policy. The action plan focuses on efforts including process changes to improve the quality of the annual quota decision.

The Council held a policy debate on Commission proposals for a management plan for plaice and sole in the North sea, on the basis of a questionnaire drawn up by the presidency. The proposal aims to manage the fisheries exploiting the stocks of North sea plaice and sole so that they are rebuilt to—and then maintained—within safe biological limits. UK Government views have been submitted to the Commission in writing.

Under any other business, in the absence the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection the Council took note of a written update on avian influenza H5N1 in the European Union and third countries.

The Agriculture Commissioner updated the Council on progress in the WTO agricultural negotiations. She said that the 30 April deadline agreed in Hong Kong for modalities would not be met but stressed that the EU offer from last October still remained on the table.


Next Section Index Home Page