§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what use he makes of the Department's financial management initiative programme.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe main objectives of the financial management initiative—FMI—which was launched in May 1982, were to promote organisations and systems which enabled managers at all levels to have a clear view of their objectives, measure performance in relation to those objectives and make best use of resources including securing value for money. The FMI has since largely become an all-embracing term for improvement in management in the civil service. The "next steps" initiative has been a logical development of the FMI.
The organisation and management systems which now exist and continue to be developed enable Ministers to give clear strategic direction, firmly related to government policy objectives, which informs the setting of planning objectives; determine the financial resources to be made available; select suitably robust and meaningful targets covering quality of service, financial performance and efficiency; and call chief executives to account.