HC Deb 27 March 1991 vol 188 cc479-80W
Mr. Ground

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the directorate-general of military survey is to become a defence support agency as foreshadowed in his statement to the House on 18 October 1989.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

The military survey will become a defence support agency (DSA) on 1 April 1991. Its first chief executive will be Major-General R. Wood.

Military survey is an integral part of the Ministry of Defence and will continue to act as the MOD's specialist authority on all geographic support matters, other than hydrographic aspects. Geographic support embraces the provision of maps, surveys and other geographical materials as well as direct support in the field, and technical services and advice, all of which are essential to the capability of the armed forces to plan, train and fight.

The agency will seek to achieve progressive improvements in operational effectiveness, standards of service, quality, cost effectiveness and efficiency. The chief executive has initially been set the following key performance objectives:

Delivery of the programme

  1. 1. To meet 95 per cent. of the agreed targets for geographic support commitments, production, development and training in 1991–92 to timescale, quantity and standard.
  2. 2. To maintain the operational effectiveness of all military survey units to the required Army standards.
  3. 3. To develop and introduce by 1 April 1992:
    1. (a) improved customer/supplier procedures;
    2. (b) improved procedures for costing products and services;
and thereafter to meet progressively more demanding annual targets for geographic support, production, development and training for future years to timescale, quantity, standard and cost.

Use of resources

  1. 4. To achieve outturn within the agreed annual cash budget allocation, subject to agreed carry over flexibilities.
  2. 5. To achieve a 1.5 per cent. increase in efficiency in 1991–92, and to develop plans to achieve future improvements in efficiency which meet targets set by the MOD.
  3. 6. To develop and introduce progressively total quality practices designed to improve efficiency in all areas of DSA activity.

Management systems

  1. 7.To review the management structure of the agency and to implement appropriate changes by 1 April 1992.
  2. 8. To review future requirements for management information and accounting systems and to prepare an implementation plan by 1 April 1992.
  3. 9. To produce and develop a corporate plan, and to produce an annual management plan covering year 1 in detail and years 2–4 in outline.

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