Annex 3: The House of Commons Commission
Strategic Plan 2006 - 2011
Purpose
The House of Commons Service supports, informs and
records the work of the House of Commons as an elected parliamentary
chamber in accordance with the decisions of the House and the
House of Commons Commission. It makes its work and information
about that work widely accessible to the general public and contributes
to parliamentary democracy by sharing its knowledge with parliaments
and assemblies worldwide. It also maintains the heritage of parliamentary
buildings and documents in trust for the public and future generations.
Values
The House of Commons Service seeks to serve the House
of Commons, its Committees and Members, and the public, with honesty,
probity and political impartiality; strives to achieve high ethical
standards, value for money and professional excellence in all
that it does; and seeks to be responsive to changing requirements.
As an employer, the House of Commons Commission is committed to
maximising the personal development of House staff, to valuing
diversity and the contribution of all individuals, and to equality
of opportunity.
Primary objectives
The House Service's primary objectives (in order
of priority) are:
To provide the advice and services that enable the
House and its committees to conduct their business effectively.
To provide the advice and services that enable individual
Members (and their staff) to perform their parliamentary duties
effectively.
To promote public knowledge and understanding of
the work and role of Parliament through the provision of information
and access.
Supporting tasks
In support of the primary objectives the House Service
also seeks:
To provide a skilled and motivated workforce; giving
recognition and reward for achievement and ensuring that all staff
realise their full potential regardless of level or background;
and promoting diversity.
To provide a healthy, safe and secure physical environment
in which the business of the House can be effectively conducted;
this includes accommodation, office services, catering and security.
To plan and manage all of the House's resources to
a high standard, achieving value for money and matching current
public service standards including in the areas of risk and change
management and environmental protection
To maintain the heritage and integrity of the Palace
of Westminster and other buildings, objects and documents for
the benefit of future generations
To ensure that information is well-managed in pursuit
of the primary objectives, in part by exploiting technology effectively.
To maintain a good working relationship with the
House of Lords, particularly in the provision of shared services;
and to share information and best practice with other parliaments
and assemblies, and to co-operate with other organisations that
can assist the House Service in its work
Priorities for the planning period
Over the planning period there will be an on-going
requirement to develop services and update working practices.
This will result from the changing demands of the House, external
factors such as new legislation, and the continuing need to ensure
that resources are managed in an effective and efficient manner.
In this context, plans will have to adapt to changing circumstances.
However, against this background, the anticipated priority areas
for the period 2006-2011 are:
Security
A priority for the current planning period will be
to ensure that security arrangements are appropriate to the assessed
level of threat and that contingency and business continuity plans
are developed and maintained so as to reduce the impact of any
disruption caused by a terrorist attack or other unplanned incident
Public information
Members as elected representatives have primary responsibility
for maintaining links between Parliament and the public, but there
are areas where an impartial House Service can and should support
this by making the work and role of Parliament better understood.
Development, and better co-ordination, of public information,
visitor and education services will be a priority area for the
planning period: major projects in the early years will include
a radical redesign of the Parliament website and, if approved
by the House, a visitor centre.
Information Management and ICT
In the previous planning period the House made substantial
investments in new information systems including the House Administrative
Information System (HAIS) and Parliamentary Information Management
Services (PIMS). In addition, the creation of the Parliamentary
ICT function will promote unified approaches that are designed
to pay dividends. A priority for the current planning period will
be to exploit those investments to introduce improved services
and more effective ways of working. This will be done in the context
of a more coherent approach to information management.
Human Resources
The provision of the high quality services required
by the House and its Members depends to a large degree on the
availability of an appropriately skilled and motivated workforce.
Priorities for the current planning period will be: improved mechanisms
for career development within a competencies framework ensuring
that the House Service benefits from diversity in its workforce
and the enhancement of management skills at all levels
Accommodation and works
Space on the Parliamentary Estate is at a premium.
During the planning period it wil1 be necessary to take a strategic
look at how space is used to ensure a good alignment with the
delivery of primary objectives. It will also be necessary to develop
a long term investment strategy that will provide accommodation
that is fit for purpose and is maintained to an appropriate standard.
Planning and management
A priority for the planning period will be to further
develop systems of management and internal control in line with
best practice, so that the House is able to comply consistently
with legal and financial requirements and demonstrate that resources
are being managed in an efficient and cost-effective way.
More detailed strategies will be developed in each
of these six priority areas to provide a basis for planning over
the period to 2011. These strategies will set out what the Board
aims to achieve by the end of the period, milestones towards delivery
and an assessment of risk (i.e. things that might prevent delivery).
During the planning period progress will be quantified and reported
against.
Resources
Subject to decisions of the House, the Board of Management
aims to manage core services at a level of expenditure no higher
than the ceiling previously agreed for 2006/07, adjusted for inflation.
The Board will continue to review existing services to identify
efficiency savings that can be re-cycled to finance planned investment.
However, additional resources could well be required to meet future
security requirements and a number of high-value works projects
that are fundamental to the maintenance of the Parliamentary Estate.
Adopted by the House of Commons Commission on
18 July 2005
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