§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on value for money in public service agreements relating to the environment. [151682]
§ Mr. BoatengThe latest Public Service Agreement (PSA) for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was published in "2002 Spending Review—Public Service Agreements 2003–2006" (Cm 5571). DEFRA's PSA included a value for money target, focusing on a reduction in the unit640W cost of administering Common Agricultural Policy payments, and an increase in electronic service delivery capability. DEFRA published a report of performance against this target in its Autumn Performance Report in November 2003 (Cm 6017), and will update this further in the departmental report later this spring.