Performance Targets (Hansard, 18 June 1997)

§ Mr. Desmond Browne
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Planning Service in 1997–98. [14568]

§ Dr. Mowlam
For 1997–98 the following performance targets have been set for the Planning Service.
Volume of Output

1. To adopt the Larne Area Plan by 31 March 1998.

Quality of Service

1. To raise customer satisfaction relative to the determination of planning applications by 5 per cent.

2. To take 75 per cent. of minor planning applications to District Council within eight weeks of receipt.

3. To take 60 per cent. of major planning applications to District Council within eight weeks of receipt.

4. To issue 50 per cent. of all decisions on planning applications within seven working days of final Council consultation.

5. To reduce the proportion of invalid planning applications by 10 per cent.

6. To issue responses to 92 per cent. of property enquiries within 10 working days of receipt.

Efficiency

1. To achieve efficiency gains of 3 per cent. in running costs expenditure.

2. To establish by June 1997 targets for reducing unit costs for determination of planning applications and processing property enquiries.

Financial performance

1. To maintain expenditure within cash limits and to approved budget plans.

2. To maintain full recovery of the costs of determining planning applications.

3. To maintain full recovery of the costs of responding to property enquiries.

§ Mr. Desmond Browne
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Roads Service in 1997–98. [4569]

§ Dr. Mowlam
For 1997–98 the following performance targets have been set for Roads Service:
Finance

1. To maintain expenditure within cash limits and to approved budget plans.

2. Within the provision allocated, deliver an overall efficiency saving of 3 per cent. in running costs.

Output/effectiveness
3. To maintain the Motorway network so that the proportion with a residual life' of more than five years exceeds 85 per cent.
4. To maintain the Regional Route Network so that the proportion with a residual life of more than five years exceeds 75 per cent.
5. To maintain the condition of other roads so that the overall Road Condition Index' does not exceed 85 per cent.
6. To reduce by 40 per cent. the total number of injury accidents occurring at treated sites over the three years following the works.
Quality of customer service
7. To achieve consistently the key standards of service set out in the Road User's Charter Statement.
Efficiency
8. The unit cost of managing the road network to be 2 per cent. lower, in real terms, than the 1996–1997 outturn figure.
¹The maximum period remaining before the road will require major reconstruction. The higher the residual life figure, the better the condition.
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²Obtained from analysing the results of inspection surveys covering a sample of the network. The lower the condition index figure, the better the condition.

§ Mr. Russell Brown
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service in 1997–98. [4570]

§ Dr. Mowlam
For 1997–98 the following performance targets have been set for EHS:-
Volume of output

1. Further develop effective regulation of discharges from Water Service installations including the preparation of effluent standards for 20 water treatment plans and placing these on the public register.

2. Bring about a 10 per cent. reduction in the number of "high" and "medium" severity pollution incidents by the year 2000 on 1996 figures.

3. Complete independent audit of all 32 municipal waste landfill sites and produce recommendations for compliance with new controls.

4. Submit proposals for the designation of four additional Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds' Directive and declare 25 Areas of Special Interest.

5. Undertake details habitat survey of 1,500 hectares.

6. Schedule 70 historic monuments to bring the total to 1,295.

7. Complete the re-survey of historic buildings in 30 wards.

8. Develop and produce 50 new information/education products (including publications and exhibitions).

Quality of customer service
9. Produce a round the clock response for all water pollution incidents reported and begin investigation of such incidents within 24 hours.
10. Respond to 90 per cent. of written enquiries or requests for information within 15 working days.
11. Issue 82 per cent. of licences, registrations, authorisations and consents within the timescales quoted in customer service guides.
Efficiency
12. Achieve 3 per cent. efficiency gains on running cost expenditure.
Financial performance
13. Monitor and maintain expenditure within cash limits.
14. Develop unit cost measures for appropriate activities.

§ Ms Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland in 1997–98. [4571]

§ Mr. Mowlam
For 1997–98 the following key performance targets have been set for the Agency:
Output
1. To dispatch 96 per cent. of Registration Books for new vehicles in 16 working days from receipt.
2. To dispatch 95 per cent. of Refunds of vehicle excise duty in 10 working days from receipt.
3. To dispatch 94 per cent. of vehicle excise licenses in 5 working days from receipt of postal applications.
4. To dispatch 95 per cent. of Duplicate Vehicle Registration Books in 6 working days from receipt of applications.
5. To dispatch 90 per cent. of ordinary Driving Licenses in 9 working days of receipt of applications.
6. To dispatch 90 per cent. of vocational Driving Licenses in 9 working days from receipt of applications.
7. To dispatch 90 per cent. of provisional Driving Licenses in 9 working days from receipt of applications.
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8. To dispatch substantive replies to 96 per cent. of written enquiries for information from the drivers and vehicles registers in 3 working days from receipt.
Efficiency
9. To limit maximum waiting at Local Vehicle Licensing Offices so that 95 per cent. of customers are attended to within 22 minutes during peak periods (the first eight and last two working days of each month) and within 10 minutes at other periods.
10. To meet an overall efficiency gain of 2.5 per cent. Financial
11. To reduce the unit cost per vehicle excise enforcement case by 0.5 per cent. in real terms compared to 1996–97.
Quality
12. To limit the error rate (errors on any item sent out by the Agency) to a maximum of 0.5 per cent. of total Agency output.

§ Ms Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Construction Service in 1997–98.[4572]

§ Dr. Mowlam
For 1997–98 the following performance targets have been set for Construction Service:
Quality of service
1. To achieve a 90 per cent. compliance in customer assessments of Agency performance against Service Level Agreements.
2. To place 75 per cent. of orders within 7 days of receipt of customer requests in the maintenance and supplies business areas.
3. To achieve a 90 per cent. positive response in customer assessments in project evaluation reports.
4. To respond to 80 per cent. of customer advisory enquiries within 6 weeks.
Efficiency
5. To achieve 3 per cent. efficiency gains on running cost expenditure.
6. To ensure that overhead costs as a percentage of chargeable time value come within the agreed percentage.
7. To ensure that staff time charged to customers is within the agreed percentage of total staff time.
Financial
8. To maintain expenditure within cash limits and to approved budget plans.
9. To recover the full cost of Agency operations from customers.
10. To ensure that actual costs as a percentage of approved target costs in project work does not exceed the agreed percentage.
11. To ensure that staff costs as a percentage of construction spend in the maintenance and supplies business areas does not exceed the agreed percentage.

§ Mrs. Osborne
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Rivers Agency for the financial year 1997–98. [4719]

§ Dr. Mowlam
The following Key Targets have been set for the Rivers Agency for 1997–98To construct or refurbish 2.0 km of urban flood defences. To increase the length of designated sea defences having appropriate standards of protection to 29 per cent. To accommodate increased storm run-off from 350 hectares of development land. To replace/refurbish 2.1 km of dangerous culverts. To complete maintenance works on 376 km of urban watercourses and 1,370 km of rural watercourses. To provide new water recreation facilities at 25 sites throughout Northern Ireland. 212W To issue substantive replies to 80 per cent. of written enquiries within 15 working days of receipt. To respond to 100 per cent. of Schedule 6 applications within 3 months. To aim to have all navigation locks operable for at least 90 per cent. of the period. To control programmes expenditure to within 0.5 per cent. shortfall of the final control total. To control DRC expenditure to within 1 per cent. shortfall of the final control total. To achieve 3 per cent. efficiency savings in the 1997–98 financial year. To implement Phase II of the development of Management Information Systems and databases to establish unit costs for protecting land from flooding and maintaining drainage benefit to agricultural land.
The Rivers Agency Business Plan for 1997–98 will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament at a later date.