HC Deb 14 March 1991 vol 187 cc665-6W
Mr. Devlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures of performance are employed by his Department to ensure value for money.

Miss Widdecombe

The Department uses a wide range of indicators to measure its performance and the quality of service it provides. These are set out in the 1991 departmental report (Cm 1514) a copy of which is available in the Library. To ensure value for money in administrative expenditure, the Department has an ongoing target to increase efficiency and uses mechanisms such as efficiency scrutinies, internal consultancy, market testing of in-house activities and the monitoring of purchasing improvements.