Government Departments (Rayner Review) (Hansard, 15 July 1981)

§ Mr. Hayhoe

In addition to the studies previously announced, Departments are carrying out the following scrutinies under the guidance of Sir Derak Rayner. Other topics may be chosen later.

Department	Topic
Home Office	The Forensic Science Service^*
Foreign and Commonwealth Office—Including Overseas	The generation and transmission of information
Development Administration	The use made of Diplomatic Service personnel overseas
Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments
Her Majesty's Treasury	The Treasury's role in promoting efficient systems of financial control in Departments
	Typing and secretarial services^*
Board of Inland Revenue	PA YE files and their contents
	Repayment procedures in the claims and PAYE sections of tax divisions†
	The administration of Schedule D tax†
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise	Procedures for dealing with and amending VAT registrations and deregistrations^*
	The criteria for providing Customs facilities and the basis on which any charges for attendance should be made^*
Department for National	Post Office errors^*
Savings	Operating procedures^*
Department of Industry	The organisation and staffing for determining the allocation of financial support for research, development and technology sponsored by the Department^*
Paymaster-General's Office	Declarations of entitlement for public service pensioners
Civil Service Department	The delegation of authority to other departments^*
Department of Employment Group
Department of Employment	Work permits administration^*
Manpower Services Commission	Procedures relating to sponsor employers taking part in Special Programmes^*
Health and Safety Commission	Approval testing and certification of products under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act^*
Ministry of Defence	Defence Sales
	Financial management and control^*
	Defence telecommunications
	Group passenger travel^*
	Dissemination of information

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Department	Topic
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	Fisheries research and the work of the Torry research station.
Department of the Environment	Control of administrative costs in DOE central and scope for local cost centres†
Property Services Agency	Custody service provided to departments having no such capability of their own†
Scottish Office	Fisheries research
Welsh Office	Procedures for processing compulsory purchase orders and other orders/appeals^*
Department of Health and Social Services	Administrative implications of "final relevant year" provision for pensions^*
	Handling of Casework in DHSS headquarters^*
Department of Trade	Handling of routine prosecutions by the Solicitor's Department^*
Department of Energy	International work^*
Department of Education and Science	Victoria and Albert and Science Museums
Department of Transport	Winter maintenance of motorways and trunk roads^*
^* Already in progress
† Completed

Sir Derek Rayner is also co-ordinating Government-wide reviews of (a) the supporting services provided to research and development and allied scientific work; (b) administrative forms. The following Departments are participating in these reviews:

Supporting services provided to research and development and allied scientific work

Home Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Overseas Development Administration)
Department of Industry
Civil Service Department (co-ordination)
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Department of the Environment
Scottish Office
Department of Transport

Administrative Forms

Home Office
Board of Inland Revenue
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
Civil Service Department (co-ordination)
Department of Employment
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Department of the Environment
Property Services Agency
Department of Health and Social Security
Department of Transport