HC Deb 24 February 1993 vol 219 cc869-70
4. Mr. Pope

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress local authorities are making to meet the service standards objectives set down in the citizens charter.

Mr. Howard

Large numbers of local authorities are now publishing local charters based on the citizens charter's principles of good public service and responsiveness to public needs. Those, together with the chartermark scheme and the Audit Commission's work on local government performance indicators, will greatly help improve quality in the delivery of local services. I shall be writing to the leader of every council very shortly with details of this year's chartermark scheme inviting them to apply.

Mr. Pope

Does the Secretary of State agree that there is little point in issuing citizens charters when local authorities simply do not have the resources to implement them? Is he aware that, even in Tory-controlled authorities such as Ealing, cuts are now biting into core services such as day nurseries, play group, and mobile library services? Even mental health day centres are threatened with closure in Tory-controlled Ealing. What use is the citizens charter to such services?

Mr. Howard

I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman. The citizens charter is about making public services more efficient and more responsive to the public within existing resources. I fear that it is typical of the hon. Gentleman and his party that they think that the only way to improve services is to spend more money. They do not have faith in local government and do not believe that it is possible for local authorities to improve their efficiency within existing resources—we do.

Sir Anthony Durant

Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that many local authorities—many of them Labour controlled—do not provide custodial places for young people? They provide places from which the young people can easily get out and reoffend, but they do have the powers to provide custodial sentences.

Mr. Howard

I agree with my hon. Friend. Our hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health made that point to devastating effect during Question Time yesterday when he spoke of the enormous gulf between the words of the Opposition Front-Bench spokesman on law and order, the hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair), and the actions of Labour-controlled local authorities.