§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by each of his Department's executive agencies since their establishment and separately identify those quality service performance indicators already operative prior to agency status.
§ Mr. DorrellKey quality of service performance indicators have been set for the Department's executive agencies as follows:
NHS Estate Management and Health Building Agency (NHS Estates)
- —Delivery on time of contracts by number and value.
- —Other quality of service indicators will be set to cover the level of NHS and other customer requirements and quality assurance systems to define and maintain high quality product and service standards. The quality of service will be reviewed periodically with those customers.
Before the establishment of NHS Estates, the estates directorate of the Department of Health was working to meet a number of objectives of which the key was to promote effectiveness, efficiency and economy in the NHS estate.
Medicines Control Agency (MCA) Safety and Quality:
- —Rate of response to reports and enquiries about adverse drug reactions.
- —Number and frequency of inspection of manufacturers.
- —Introduction of quality control processes.
Standard of Service:
- —Waiting time from receipt of paid up abridged licences to start of professional assessments.
- —Assessment time for abridges product licence applications.
- —Assessment time for all new active substance licence applications.
Although the MCA has always sought to improve standards and efficiency, quality of service indicators were not established in this form before 1991–92.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the first degree obtained by the chief executive of each of his Department's executive agencies and from which university or polytechnic it was awarded.
§ Mr. DorrellThe chief executive of the NHS Estate Management and Health Building Agency (NHS Estates) does not hold a degree but is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The first degree obtained by the chief executive of the Medicines Control Agency was a bachelor of medicine/bachelor of surgery from the university of Wales.