HC Deb 02 July 2002 vol 388 cc83-6
34. Brian White (Milton Keynes, North-East)

What recent progress has been made by the delivery unit in securing the Government's objectives. [63750]

Mr. Alexander

The delivery unit continues to be responsible for working in partnership with Departments to ensure that the Government achieve their delivery priorities across the key areas of public service. After the spending review, it will expand its scope to include priorities in other main domestic service delivery departments.

Brian White

As one of the few people who claim to understand the Cabinet Office's previous organisation chart, may I welcome the changes made by Sir Andrew Turnbull? The delivery unit has worked well because it has been extremely focused, so does the Minister share my concern that the plans to expand its remit may result in its existing work becoming less effective?

Mr. Alexander

I commend my hon. Friend for his understanding of the previous organogram. I hope that Sir Andrew Turnbull's proposals for structural changes, which were announced recently, will give my hon. Friend confidence that we now have a strategic and focused centre that can drive forward the work on delivery and reform. After the spending review, the delivery unit will take forward its vital work within that structure.

I make it clear to the House that we see the delivery unit as having a key role in supporting, rather than supplanting, the work of Departments. We are determined to ensure that as it expands its role, it continues to work in support of Secretaries of State and Ministers throughout Whitehall as we advance our agenda for reform and delivery.

Mr. A. J. Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed)

Is it the case that the delivery unit monitors between four and six targets in each of the policy areas of health, education, transport and law and order, selected from the Departments' public service agreements? Will the Minister tell us which particular targets are selected at the moment? Perhaps he could give us examples and put a note in the Library so that we can know what all the targets are and what the future priorities will be.

Mr. Alexander

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that the delivery contracts have not been published because they contain no new commitments and do not represent a new list of Government priorities. There have been many other equally important priorities throughout Government, and publication might be wrongly interpreted as suggesting that there was a wholly new set of priorities. The work of the delivery unit reinforces pre-existing work taken forward by the Treasury and individual Departments in advancing the public service agreements, which are, of course, published and available to the right hon. Gentleman.

Margaret Moran (Luton, South)

I welcome my hon. Friend to his position, and I also welcome the radical simplification of the Cabinet Office. When he addresses the delivery unit, will he ensure that it considers the performance of local authorities in delivering our 2005 e-government target? As I am sure he is aware, a number of reports, including those from Socitim and IDeA, express concern that we are not on target to deliver the quality of e-government services necessary to ensure that our constituents are able to access the full range of services to which they are entitled.

Mr. Alexander

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for those observations. Given my background in the Department of Trade and Industry, I am fully aware of the important work being done on getting services online. I am also aware that some of the most innovative and exciting work has been done at local government level. That is why I, with responsibility for e-transformation, will work closely with colleagues at the newly configured centre to ensure that we learn from what is best in local government and take the opportunity share best practice across the country.