§ Mrs. GilroyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the performance of his Department's civilian management (Welfare) unit sections; and how many cases relating to(a) grievance and (b) disciplinary procedure took (i) six and (ii) twelve months or more to reach a conclusion in (1) 1996–97, (2) 1995–96 and (3) 1994–95. [52831]
§ Mr. SpellarThe performance of the Ministry of Defence Occupational Welfare Service, OWS, is assessed through a range of Performance Targets and Performance Indicators. The key Performance Target is the provision of an efficient service for all Ministry of Defence UK based civilian staff. Performance is assessed and reported on by senior officers within the OWS. As part of this 203W assessment, discussions are held with senior personnel and line managers across the Department. The Performance Indicators relate to response times; these have been consistently met. An Annual Report on the activities of the OWS is sent to all Chief Executives and Senior Managers in the MOD.
Records detailing grievances raised are not kept, as many are resolved locally and at various levels throughout the Department. The number of disciplinary cases which took between six and 12 months were, in 1996–97, 11, and in 1995–96, 21. In 1996–97 there were no cases which took longer than 12 months; in 1995–96 there were two. These cases were among a total of 309 in 1996–97, and 339 in 1995–96. Records for 1994–95 are not available. In all cases the aim was to reach a decision within two months at most, but unfortunately this was not always possible.