HC Deb 09 May 1994 vol 243 cc57-8W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he has made to his requirements for efficiency savings by the Vehicle Inspectorate.

Mr. Key

My right hon. Friend announced on 29 April that the Vehicle Inspectorate is required to achieve an efficiency improvement of 5 per cent. this year as measured by the agency's aggregate cost efficiency index.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect efficiency savings imposed by his Department have had on recruitment by the Vehicle Inspectorate; and what assessment he has made on the effect on road safety.

Mr. Key

Recruitment to the Vehicle Inspectorate is a matter for the agency's chief executive, but I am advised that it was on a very limited scale in 1993–94 and that the position is likely to be similar this year. The targets set by my right hon. Friend for the agency last year and those he announced last month for 1994–95 imply, as well as efficiency gains, an improvement in the quality of service which can only contribute to road safety.