HC Deb 30 April 1998 vol 311 cc251-2W
Miss Geraldine Smith

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the Pesticides Safety Directorate for 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [40793]

Dr. John Cunningham

I have set the following targets for the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1998/99.

Quality of Service To meet the throughput and processing time targets set out in the table below. To deliver high quality policy advice to Ministers and to represent them effectively. To deliver scientific work of recognised high quality.

Financial Performance To recover from industry and Government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its service. To operate within MAFF's net cash allocation agreed for PSD by MAFF's Management Board.

Throughput and processing time targets:
Application Stream Planned completions Processing time (weeks)
New Substances (Notes 1,2)
Sift 15 22
Evaluation UK 6 52
EU 8 52
Reviews (Note 3)
Full
Other 26
European
Non-UK rapporteur
monographs 20
Technical Secretariat (Notes 1,2)
Normal 370 41
Fast 400 17
Extrapolated Experimental 10 16
Approval 5 26
Experimental Permit 15 12
Emergency Off Label 40 34
Non-emergency Off Label 15 52
Departmental 550 4
Administrative Fast 45
Other
Total 1,525

Notes:

1. 90 per cent. of applications are covered by the processing time targets except the sift where the figure is 100 per cent.

2. Completed applications have no outstanding actions eg approval issued or application refused.

3. For UK reviews, completion is when all 5 regulatory Departments have given approval.