HC Deb 03 July 1997 vol 297 cc279-80W
Ms Moran

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in 1997–98. [6914]

Dr. Mowlam

For 1997–98 the following performance targets have been set for PRONI:

Financial Performance

To meet the challenge of managing the Agency's workload by:

  1. (a) absorbing a 13.3 per cent. reduction in staff numbers;
  2. (b) providing for an estimated 4 per cent. increase in readers:
  1. (c) maintaining extended opening hours;
  2. (d) ensuring that expenditure is within the financial limits approved.

Output

  1. 1. To appraise at least 4,000 linear metres of records, including the reappraisal of records so as to eliminate low-grade material.
  2. 2. To list and index at least 500 linear metres of records, including ensuring that 100 per cent. of all new "open" material is thus processed within one year of receipt.

Quality of service

  1. 1. To survey the conditions in which 10 per cent. of 33,360 metres of records are stored; and, in a related exercise, to take remedial action on upgrading c.1,800 linear metres of records as presently stored on mobile shelving at Balmoral Avenue so as to bring them up to defined standards of archival protection.
  2. 2. With the help of the computerised document request system, to improve the speed of on-site production to the public by reducing waiting time from 40 minutes to 37 minutes or less in 90 per cent. of cases.
  3. 3. To process customer queries within 10 working days of receipt in 90 per cent. of cases and within 14 working days in 96 per cent. of cases, thus improving PRONI's Citizen's Charter commitment.
  4. 4. To ensure the smooth completion of the annual release for 1998—c.680 files, but with the possible addition of court records—as well as the ongoing release of identified blocks of records at earlier than 30 years.

Efficiency

  1. 1. To reduce PRONI's composite Unit Cost in the areas of selecting and accessioning, records listing, records storage. document production and reader service by 3 per cent., from £99.95 to £96.95.