HL Deb 28 March 1990 vol 517 cc961-2WA
Lord Brougham and Vaux

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What will be the future status of the Building Research Establishment.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Hesketh)

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is pleased to announce that on 2nd April the Building Research Establishment (BRE) is to become an executive agency in the Department of the Environment under the Next Steps initiative. This will provide the establishment with new freedoms and will improve its ability to serve the needs of Government, the construction industry and building users. I am placing a copy of the policy and resources framework document for the new agency in the Libraries of both Houses.

The key performance indicators of the agency are set out in the framework document. The principal targets for 1990–91 are:

The average overhead rate;

the average technical man day rate;

the utilisation rate for chargeable staff; and

non-Exchequer income as a percentage of total income.

In addition, the target net Vote cost of the agency will be £1–764 million in 1990–91. The agency will be expected to make efficiency savings equivalent to at least 2 per cent, a year.