HC Deb 24 April 2002 vol 384 cc312-3W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible; and if the target was met. [49645]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Chapter 2 of Treasury's Guidance "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Annual Reports and Accounts Guidance" requires executive NDPBs to provide, as part of their annual reports, information about the performance and efficiency targets agreed with their sponsor Departments and performance against those targets. The information is to be given for the current year and the four previous years. All of the Department for Education and Skills executive NDPBs, which are: Adult Learning Inspectorate; British Educational Communications and Technology Agency; Construction Industry Training Board; Engineering Construction Industry Training Board; Higher Education Funding Council for England; Investors in People UK; Learning and Skills Council; National College for School Leadership; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Student Loans Company; and Teacher Training Agency, annual reports are available in the House Library. As the Construction Industry Training Board and Engineering Construction Industry Training Board are self funding we do not set them efficiency targets, however, the boards set themselves efficiency targets, the details and progress towards which are available in their annual reports. Our tribunal NDPBs are also self funding, so we set neither Special Educational Needs Tribunal nor Registered Inspectors Appeals Tribunal efficiency targets. The SENT annual reports are available in the House Library and RIAT has no permanent staff and has only met once since it was registered in 1992 so setting efficiency targets and producing annual reports seems inappropriate.