§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about progress he has made concerning his Department's contribution to the citizens charter following the publication of the Statement on Defence Estimates 1992.
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§ Mr. Archie HamiltonAs was explained in the Statement on the Defence Estimates (Cm 1981, paragraphs 336 to 337), the Ministry of Defence does not provide any service direct to the public. The Department's principal response to the citizens charter is therefore the continued provision of a high standard of defence capability giving value for money to the tax payer. The performance and quality disciplines inherent in the new management strategy and in the formation of next steps agencies are however valuable tools through which the Department is seeking to improve the standard of the service it provides.
For examples of where the work of the Department is relevant to the citizens charter I refer the hon. Gentleman to the White Paper "Citizen's Charter First Report 1992" (Cm 2101), published on Wednesday 25 November 1992.