HC Deb 14 January 1994 vol 235 cc321-2W
Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the time scale and scope of the review of her Department's staffing and functions.

Mr. Sackville

We announced a review of the Department of Health, excluding the national health service management executive and the Department's agencies, on 6 January. The terms of reference of the review, giving details of its time scale and scope, are as follows.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:

  • decisions and on-going work on the NHS Functions and Manpower Review;
  • the requirements of Ministers and the demands made on them by Parliament and the public;
  • the importance of reducing running costs as far as possible while maintaining an effective service to Ministers;
  • continuing guidance from the Steering Group appointed to oversee this and related work.

1. To identify the core functions, responsibilities and accountabilities of the Department of Health, excluding the Management Executive, the agencies, the Medical Devices Directorate and the Youth Treatment Service.

2. To examine the manpower resources used to do that work including in particular the Senior Open Structure posts and the way they are organised and deployed.

3. To identify the borderline between the work of the wider Department and the Management Executive and to examine the way they work together.

4. To make recommendations by the end of May about: work that should no longer be done; what work, if any, should be transferred between the wider Department and the Management Executive; the management structures and the use of manpower best suited to deliver effectively the work that remains; the level of staffing in general; the number, grading and responsibilities of the Senior Open Structure posts in particular; the elimination of any duplication of work between the wider Department and the Management Executive.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the membership of the review team investigating her Department's staffing and functions.

Mr. Sackville

The review will be conducted by Mrs. Terri Banks, formerly Registrar General for England and Wales. She will be supported by management consultants, who have yet to be appointed, and by a grade 7 and an HEO(D) civil servant, from the Department of Health and the Treasury respectively.

The review will be conducted under the oversight of a steering group, which will also be responsible for ensuring that this exercise is co-ordinated with the implementation of changes to national health service central management arising from the functions and manpower review. The steering group's membership is as follows:

  • Graham Hart, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health (Chairman).
  • Sir Duncan Nichol, Chief Executive, NHSME.
  • Dr. Kenneth Calman, Chief Medical Officer.
  • Andrew Edwards, Grade 2, Treasury.
  • Brian Edwards, Regional General Manager, West Midlands RHA.
  • Alan Langlands, Chief Executive Designate, NHSME.
  • Joe Pilling, Grade 2, Department of Health.
  • Strachan Heppell, Grade 2, Department of Health.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the review of her Department's staffing and functions will cover the work of her Department in answering parliamentary questions and dealing with correspondence and inquiries from hon. Members.

Mr. Sackville

Yes.