§ Mr. BoothTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of the next steps initiative.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWork on agency creation has continued. During the first week of April a further 13 agencies will be launched. This will bring the total number of agencies to 89. More than 350,000 civil servants, almost 60 per cent. of the total, will be working in agencies and other organisations working on next steps lines. In addition, a further 19 candidates have been announced covering over 25,000 more civil servants and other areas are under consideration. All candidates will be identified by the end of 1993 with the aim of launching them by mid-1995—end-1994 and mid-1996 in Northern Ireland.
Within the civil service, agencies are a key vehicle for putting into practice the principles of the citizens charter. Some of the new agencies will issue a charter or charter standards statement at launch. Others will do so soon. All agencies are committed to delivering a high quality of service.
All the new agencies have been set key performance targets for their first year of operation. The details will be given by my right hon. Friends when announcing individual agency launches.
The list of agencies established or to be established by 5 April 1993 is:
333W
Staff1 Accounts Services Agency 85 ADAS Agency 2,280 Army Base Repair Organisation2 3,800 Building Research Establishment 700 Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments) 245 Central Office of Information3 620 Central Science Laboratory 375 Central Statistical Office 1,235 Central Veterinary Laboratory 615 Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment 600 Chessington Computer Centre2 3 450 Child Support Agency2 3,500 Civil Service College 230 Companies House3 1,035 Compensation Agency4 150 Defence Analytical Services Agency 130 Defence Operational Analysis Centre 175 Defence Postal and Courier Services 485 Defence Research Agency3 11,260 Directorate General of Defence Accounts 2,460 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 4,450 Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency4 260 Driving Standards Agency 1,900 Duke of York's Royal Military School 95 DVOIT 480 Employment Service 44,610 Fire Service College3 285 Forensic Science Service 615 Government Property Lawyers2 130 Her Majesty's Prison Service2 37,420 334W
Staff1 Historic Royal Palaces 350 Historic Scotland 630 HMSO3 3,175 Hydrographic Office 815 Insolvency Service 1,530 Intervention Board 970 Laboratory of the Government Chemist 330 Land Registry3 9,510 Medicines Control Agency3 325 Meteorological Office 2,460 Military Survey 1,155 National Physical Laboratory 790 National Weights and Measures Laboratory 50 Natural Resources Institute 440 Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation 1,630 NEL 375 NHS Estates 140 NHS Pensions Agency 630 Northern Ireland Child Support Agency2 4 700 Occupational Health Service 125 Ordnance Survey 2,280 Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland4 210 Patent Office3 1,015 Paymaster General's Office2 855 Pesticides Safety Directorate2 170 Planning Inspectorate 605 Public Record Office 445 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 60 Queen Victoria School 65 Radiocommunications Agency 535 RAF Maintenance 12,855 Rate Collection Agency4 280 Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency 190 Registers of Scotland 1,295 Royal Mint3 1,005 Royal Parks2 260 Scottish Agricultural Science Agency 145 Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 215 Scottish Office Pensions Agency2 185 Scottish Prison Service2 4,600 Scottish Record Office2 125 Service Children's Schools (North West Europe) 5 1,110 Social Security Agency4 5,100 Social Security Benefits Agency 64,215 Social Security Contributions Agency 8,745 Social Security Information Technology Services Agency 4,090 Social Security Resettlement Agency 455 Teachers' Pensions Agency 290 The Buying Agency3 90 Training and Employment Agency4 1,670 Transport Research Laboratory 685 United Kingdom Passport Agency 1,290 Valuation and Lands Agency2 4 360 Valuation Office 5,030 Vehicle Certification Agency 75 Vehicle Inspectorate3 1,780 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 75 Warren Spring Laboratory 285 Wilton Park Conference Centre 25 89 in number TOTAL 269,570 Less Armed Forces personnel 7,730 TOTAL CIVIL SERVANTS 261,840 Customs and Excise6 (30 Executive Units) 25,610 Inland Revenue6 (34 Executive Offices) 63,105 GRAND TOTAL 350,555 1 October 1992 figures excluding casuals, except new agencies which show staffing figure at launch date. Part-time staff are counted as half units. 2To be launched in the first week of April 1993. 3Trading Fund. 4Northern Ireland Civil Service. 5Excludes locally engaged staff.
6Departments operating fully on next steps lines. Staffing figure for Inland Revenue excludes the Valuation Office which is a free standing Agency.
The list of candidates for agency status announced by Ministers is as follows:
Staff1 Army Logistics 28,440 Defence Animal Centre 220 Defence Central Services 1,385 Directorate Information Technology Bureau Services 120 Driver and Vehicle Licensing (NI)3 150 Equipment Test and Evaluation 2,220 Fisheries Research Services 270 Fuel Suppliers Branch 20 Human Factors Research 390 Meat Hygiene Service4 1,800 MOD Police 5,075 Naval Training and Recruitment 5,200 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys 1,995 Property Holdings Portfolio Management 1,645 RAF Training 9,200 Surveyor General's Organisation 350 Transport and Security Services Division 1,235 War Pensions Directorate 1,250 Youth Treatment Service 200 19 in number Total 41,165 Less armed forces personnel: 15,765 TOTAL CIVIL SERVANTS: 25,400 1October 1992 figures excluding casuals. Part-time staff are counted as half units. 2Estimated to require 8,440 staff, drawn from a variety of sources. 3Northern Ireland Civil Service. 4Estimated to require 1,800 staff, drawn from a variety of sources.