§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to involve consumer views in the development of performance indicators.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerConsumer views are taken into account, either directly or indirectly, in developing performance indicators, particularly those which measure quality of service to the public.
Of those operational services which the Home Office does not control, police forces consult local communities, often through opinion surveys, to obtain public views on police performance and worries about crime; fire brigades take pains to ensure that they have the views of the communities they serve and the fire service is currently looking at a scheme for introducing performance measures nationally, some of which will include measures of public satisfaction.
372WOf those services which the Home Office provides itself, the immigration service and the nationality division take account of consumer views, albeit less directly, in setting their performance targets; an opinion survey conducted last year by the Passport Agency led to the setting for this year of a target for customer satisfaction; Forensic Science Service Agency targets for turnround times for cases were set in consultation with its customers.
§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance indicators are published for his Department.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerDetails of performance indicators for Home Office departments and services are published in the Home Office annual report 1991 (Cm 1509). For details of performance indicators for Home Office agencies (the Passport Agency and the forensic science service) I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to questions from my hon. Friends the Members for Cornwall, North (Sir G. Neale) and for Stockton, South (Mr. Devlin) on 27 March at columns 469–70.