§ Mr. CoeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what targets have been set for the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1996–97. [25929]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following targets relating to financial performance, efficiency, the delivery of pesticides approval services and policy advice in 1996–97.
To achieve 100 per cent. recovery of costs.
To comply with budgetary controls resulting from the public expenditure survey and the supply estimates.
To achieve an overall efficiency gain of 3 per cent.
To meet the targets for delivery of services as follows:
Application stream Applications completed Maximum processing time(working weeks) Technical secretariat1 Normal 255 43 Administrative fast 400 4 Fast 325 21 Experimental permit 30 36 Off label 200 12 Other 205 — New substances1 Sift (EC and UK) 13 24 Active substance — — UK: National rules 8 54 EC: UK rapporteur 1 54 UK reviews Full 3 — Other 4 — EC reviews UK rapporteur 7 — Non-rapporteur (monograph co-ordination) 15 — Total 1,466 — 1The processing time targets apply to 85 per cent. of applications received except the EC and UK sifts for new substances, where the figure is 100 per cent.
- 1. The quality of the directorate's scientific and policy work will be subject to separate quality audits.
- 2. Details of performance in 1995–96 will be set out in the agency's annual report and accounts to be published during July 1996.