§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will reassess the performance criteria of permanent, deputy and under secretaries within the civil service.
§ Mr. David HuntNo. My Department completed work to identify the core criteria for grades 1 to 3 in March 1994. A new annual performance review system for grades 2 and 3 was introduced from 1 January 1995 which included assessment against these criteria. The arrangements proposed for determining permanent secretaries' pay will also involve a system of formal annual appraisal.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will consider introducing policy target agreements and individual fixed term contracts for permanent, deputy and under secretaries within the civil service.
§ Mr. David HuntSenior managers in executive agencies work within the framework of the key targets set out in the organisation's framework document, while in core departments, senior managers work within the framework of policy objectives set out in each Department's published annual report.
In the Command Paper, "The Civil Service: Taking Forward Continuity and Change" (CM 2748), the Government stated that they would proceed with the introduction of written contracts of employment for members of the new senior civil service. The Government do not favour using fixed term contracts generally for senior civil servants, a view which is shared by the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee in its report, "Role of the Civil Service".