§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Prime Minister if she will list, by subject and date, the major areas of investigation undertaken by her policy and efficiency units, respectively, since their establishment.
§ The Prime MinisterI have today placed in the Library a list of all scrutinies and reviews conducted by departments in which the efficiency unit was involved. The programme of scrutinies and reviews for 1984–85 was published in the White Paper "Progress in Financial Management in Government Departments", Cmnd. 9297. A further five scrutinies have since been added to the programme as follows:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office BBC external services Output Measures Provision of furnishings Department of Transport Marine services DTI/LCD/HO/HMT/MPO/DHSS/DE/ DOE — Compliance costs
The policy unit has provided the Prime Minister with briefing and analysis on major policy issues, including their longer-term implications. These include issues coming before Cabinet and Cabinet Committees but exclude foreign policy and national security matters.