Fisheries Research Services (Hansard, 17 June 1998)

§ Mr. Macdonald

My right hon. Friend has set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services:

Delivery of Service

To achieve 85 per cent. of the performance targets set in the schedules to the Service Level Agreement.
To achieve 80 per cent. of the milestones agreed for Research and Development projects.
To maintain, pro rata, FRS's publication output.

Quality of Service

To review the work of the Fish Cultivation Team at the Marine Laboratory through a visiting group and to report by December 1997.
To submit by 1999/2000 the quality manuals and documentation which are required for the accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, of the monitoring programmes for algal toxins, microbiological contamination of shellfish, List II viral diseases of fish, and sampling of fish for residues of veterinary medicines.

Efficiency targets

To carry out the agreed programme for the Scottish Office within the agreed costs.
To recover full economic costs from external customers.
To restrict administrative costs to 18 per cent. of the total running costs.
To restrict unit costs of fish farms inspection programmes to £320 per farm visit.
To increase research vessels utilisation to 540 days, operating at a daily cost of £5,200 (Scotia) and £2,100 (Clupea).

These various tasks should provide a sound basis for evaluating performance by establishing a time series for certain indicators and by requiring external scrutiny by external accreditors and scientific peers.