Mr. John M. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the performance of enterprise agencies.
§ Mr. CopeAs private sector led, wholly independent bodies, the performance of individual local enterprise agencies is primarily a matter for their boards and their supporters.
However, the Government are anxious to encourage greater professionalism among local enterprise agencies and one of the requirements of the local enterprise agency grant scheme is that agencies prepare a three-year business plan which includes performance targets.
This Department has also supported business in the community and a number of large private sector sponsors of local enterprise agencies who are working to develop guidelines to assist local enterprise agencies to evaluate their own performance and effectiveness.