Radiocommunications Division (Hansard, 2 April 1990)

§ Mr. Ridley

I am establishing the radiocommunications executive agency today. It is the seventh executive agency to be established within DTI.

Operating as an agency will give the agency further incentive in its efforts to provide an effective, quality service to radio users throughout the country. To that end I have set the radiocommunications agency the following efficiency and quality of service targets for 1990–91: (a) to achieve an efficiency increase of 3 per cent. in its overall operations; (b) to maintain and improve existing levels of quality of service in its licensing and enforcement activities through a comprehensive set of quality of service targets as follows: (i) Licensing Aeronautical—90 per cent. of new applications to be processed and despatched within one working day; Aircraft—90 per cent. of new applications to be processed and despatched within two working days; Ships radio—80 per cent. of licences to be issued within one month; Maritime business radio—90 per cent. of cases to be actioned within three months; Private mobile radio Average time for processing applications: New applications—within 15 working days; Amendments—within 30 working days; On-site paging—90 per cent. of new applications and amendments to be processed and, where appropriate, despatched within three working days. In each case the target is for action within the number of days specified, following receipt by the agency; (ii) Enforcement: 95 per cent. of safety of life services complaints to be handled within 24 hours; 95 per cent. of business complaints to be handled within five working days; 95 per cent. of domestic complaints to be handled within one month. I propose in due course to set the radiocommunications agency similarly challenging targets for the improvement of efficiency in later years.