§ Mr. AlexanderTo ask the Minister for the Civil Service what progress has been made towards the creation of an executive agency within his Department to carry out recruitment and related functions.
§ Mr. RentonI am pleased to announce that the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency (RAS) will be launched on 1 April 1991 to coincide with the wider changes in civil service recruitment that I referred to in my
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Non-domestic rateable values Average poundage Gross non-domestic rates income Domestic rateable values Gross domestic rates income Nett domestic rates income Year £ million pence £ million £ million £ million £ million 1970–71 84 131.5 108 76 99 n/a 1971–72 142 86.0 120 142 119 102 1972–73 146 88.0 127 145 126 107 1973–74 151 96.0 144 149 141 117 1974–75 157 111.0 170 152 164 128 1975–76 163 142.0 222 155 208 160 1976–77 168 162.0 261 158 241 101 1977–78 175 183.0 304 162 272 205 1978–79 770 54.0 386 447 220 188 1979–80 801 62.0 460 464 256 217 1980–81 619 81.0 625 462 346 299 1981–82 327 108.5 842 469 475 408 1982–83 822 122.6 927 476 539 449 1983–84 839 124.9 944 482 537 389 1984–85 336 129.4 982 489 569 407 1985–86 1,813 64.9 1,027 1,309 739 441 1986–87 1,663 67.4 1,124 1,327 794 501 1987–88 1,878 75.0 1,257 1,844 996 592 1988–89 1,862 78.7 1,889 1,358 960 694 1989–90 1,824 75.6 1,221 — — — reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) on 26 March at columns 364–65. It will be the third executive agency to be established in my Department.
The RAS is being created primarily to take over the executive recruitment functions currently performed by the Civil Service Commission. It will charge for all its services; and its customers—mainly Government Departments, other executive agencies and the civil service commissioners—will be free to recruit for themselves or to go elsewhere if they believe that they will obtain better value for money.
Agency status, together with a range of additional managerial freedoms and flexibilities, will enable the RAS to compete effectively for business with other providers in the public and private sectors. I have set demanding targets in the areas of financial performance, operational efficiency and quality of service. These include recovery of full costs; a productivity increase of 6.8 per cent. in the first year; and achievement of an overall customer satisfaction level of at least 85 per cent.
A copy of the framework document will be placed in the Library.