HC Deb 10 May 1984 vol 59 cc414-5W
Mr. Murphy

0asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will list the main policy achievements of the Management and Personnel Office since May 1979.

Mr. Hayhoe

The Management and Personnel Office was set up in 1981, taking over the former Civil Service Department's responsibilities for the organisation, efficiency and personnel management of the Civil Service. We have made substantial progress in ensuring that those working in the service give the taxpayer better value for money. The main achievements are:

—in association with Lord Rayner, and now Sir Robin Ibbs, over 150 Departmental scrutinies and nine multi-departmental reviews have been carried out, leading to agreement on specific efficiency improvements producing savings and extra income of £327 million per year;

—the launch in 1982, jointly with the Treasury, of a major initiative in financial management. Progress in Departments was reported in the White Paper "Financial Management in Government Departments" (Cmnd. 9058); a further White Paper will be published this summer;

—substantial progress with a personnel management action programme, launched last year, complementing other efficiency and management initiatives by defining more clearly line managers' responsibilities for personnel matters, and to ensure that individual performance is assessed against objectives and high achievement recognised;

—that 48,000 different forms have been reviewed in the last two years, 9,000 of them abolished and over £4 million saved;

—the issue of efficiency studies and management guidance on controlling costs of common services such as messengers, posts and telephones, stores and training, yielding savings of over £21 million a year;

—the expansion and improvement of management training at the Civil Service college, particularly training in financial management and information technology;

—improved efficiency in recruitment which has enabled the Civil Service Commission to meet increased demand and a higher volume of applications with a reduced number of staff (for example 417 applications per member of staff were dealt with in 1983, compared with 275 in 1978).