§ Mr. CarringtonTo ask the Attorney-General if he has identified any candidates within his Department for agency status under the next steps initiative.
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The Attorney-GeneralFollowing a feasibility study, I have selected the Treasury Solicitor's Department's property division as a candidate for executive agency status.
I am confident that a move to agency status will be beneficial, enabling the agency to operate with greater freedom and with more clearly defined responsibilities within an agreed framework of objectives, performance targets, and resources. The move will, I believe, lead to improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.
Detailed discussions on an agency framework document have now been set in hand, and we will carry planning forward with a view to establishing the division as an executive agency on 1 April 1993.