§ Mr. SalterTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what performance targets have been set for the Meteorological Office for 1998–99. [40004]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office is responsible for providing meteorological services and weather forecasts for a wide range of customers, including the Armed Forces, government, civil aviation, shipping, emergency services, media, commerce, industry and the public. It also undertakes research related to meteorology and climate. During 1998–99 the Meteorological Office will be set the following challenging targets:
Key Target 1
To achieve a value of at least 111.1 index points on 31 March 1999 from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 1995, for the global Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) index, which measures the overall forecasting skill of the global NWP model;Key Target 2
To achieve an index level of 104.0 by 31 March 2000 from a baseline of 100.0 at 31 March 1997, and to achieve an increase of at least 2.0 index points during 1998–99 for the UK NWP partial index, which measures the forecasting skill of the NWP model for the UK;Key Target 3
To increase the index of service quality to at least 104.8 on 31 March 1999 from a baseline of 100.0 for 1996–97, in line with agreed customer requirements. The index covers representative services and products across defence, civil aviation, public and business users;Key Target 4
To improve efficiency from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 1997 to at least 108.0 on 31 March 1999 as measured by the agreed Efficiency Index;Key Target 5
To achieve an overall return on capital employed (ROCE) of at least 7% taken year on year. For the financial years 1997–98 and 1998–99 to achieve an overall ROCE of at least 11.6% averaged over the two years;Key Target 6
To make a contribution from commercial activities in 1998–99 of not less than £1.1 million, on the agreed basis of measurement.