§ 36. Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has to increase publicity for the citizens charter.
§ Mr. David DavisIndividual organisations in the public sector take the lead in making information widely available about their citizens charter commitments to improve the quality of service that they provide. We are continuing to drive the charter programme forward by the charter mark award scheme, the Charter News magazine, forums and seminars across the country and White Papers reporting on progress and commitments for the future.
§ Mr. MarshallIs my hon. Friend happy at the publicity given by London Transport to the commuters charter?
§ Mr. DavisI am tempted simply to answer yes and sit down, but I shall not. London Underground in particular, which is in the news today, publicises its standards in its charter, available at underground stations. Just about half its targets are now measured by customer satisfaction ratings. It publishes performance statistics against those standards on a four-weekly basis and they are available at all underground stations.
§ Mr. Tony BanksHow many calls have now been made to the charter lines, what is the total cost and what is the cost per call?
§ Mr. DavisThe total number of calls is about 5,500. I cannot, off the top of my head, say what is the cost per call. If the hon. Gentleman, before coming to the House, had ever done anything except make a mess of the GLC, he might have learnt something about how things are designed. In industry, anyone designing a new product starts with a prototype. The prototype may cost £1 million or £10 million, but the figure does not matter in so far as the product represents good value for money and results in better delivery of service.
§ Madam SpeakerMr. George Foulkes. [HON. MEMBERS: "Where is he?"] Mr. Barry Jones. [HON. MEMBERS: "Where is he?"] Mr. Gordon Prentice. [HON. MEMBERS: "Where is he?"] It is 3.30, so time's up.