§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's, Government:
What progress has been made in transferring the executive functions of the Department of Transport to agency status.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Lord. Mackay of Ardbrecknish)We are establishing three further executive agencies in the Department a Transport with effect from 1 April, The Highways Agency, The Coastguard Agency and the Marine Safety Agency. We have set clear aims and objectives for each of the agencies and we are placing clear responsibility for the management of the agencies on their chief executives. We will look to the chief executives for improvements in efficiency and effectiveness and in the quality of the services the agencies provide. The aims and objectives of each agency and the chief executives' responsibilities are set out in the agencies' framework documents, copies of which will be placed in the Library when published.
Each year, we shall set these agencies demanding efficiency and service targets, which will be published in annual business plans. The agencies will also publish annual reports; again, copies of these, and the business plans for 1994–95, will be placed in the Library.
The Highways Agency has some 2,400 staff, and has a headquarters office in London. The agency will be responsible for managing and maintaining the existing motorway and trunk road network in England and for delivering the Government's road programme. We believe that the increased focus on managing the network as a whole, which is reflected in the agency's aim and objectives and in the targets in the Road User's Charter and the Charter Standard Statement—Your Home and Trunk Road Proposals—which will be published shortly, will result in a better quality of service for users of the trunk road network and those who are affected by traffic on it and improvements to it. 39WA Following an open competition, we have appointed Mr. Lawrie Haynes, formerly with British Aerospace, to be the agency's first chief executive.
The Coastguard Agency has some 580 staff, the large majority of whom are uniformed coastguard officers, and has its headquarters in Southampton. The agency will be responsible for discharging the Government's responsibilities for civil maritime search and rescue and combating oil and chemical pollution from ships when there is a threat to UK interests. Following an open competition, we have appointed Mr. Chris Harris, formerly Director of the Department's Marine Emergencies Organisation, to be the agency's first chief executive.
The Marine Safety Agency has some 410 staff, and has its headquarters in Southampton. The agency will be responsible for implementing the Government's strategy for marine safety and the prevention of pollution from ships. Following an open competition, we have appointed Mr. Robin Bradley, formerly a serving Royal Navy officer, to be the agency's first chief executive.
We wish the chief executives and their staffs every success for the future. We are confident that these new arrangements will enable them to provide yet further improvements in the services they provide while giving better value for money.
Any queries about matters relating to the operation of the agencies we hope will be directed in the first instance to the chief executives. We will continue to deal with questions of policy and resources, or where there is dissatisfaction with an agency's reply.