§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of the administration trainees who joined the Civil Service in the last available year(a) were arts graduates, (b) were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge and (c) attended public schools. [33042]
§ Dr. David Clark[holding answer 6 March 1998]: In the 1997 General Fast Stream competition, 170 candidates were recommended by the Final Selection Board for appointment to the Fast Stream Development Programme of the Civil Service. Of these: (a) 66.5% were graduates in arts-related subjects; (b) 43.5% were graduates of Oxford or Cambridge; and (c) of the 82% of candidates where the information is available, 50% attended independent schools.
Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the future of the Next Steps policy of management reform in the civil service and about the 1997 Next Steps report. [34414]
§ Dr. David ClarkThe Government have today published the 1997 Next Steps Report, CM-3889, which has been laid in both Houses. This report brings together performance and trend data on 138 executive agencies and four departments operating on Next Steps lines. It is now 10 years since the Next Steps policy was launched. As the report makes clear, the percentage of civil servants working in Next Steps agencies or in departments organised on Next Steps lines last year passed the target of 75 per cent. set during the early days of the project. This is a considerable milestone in a project which, with cross-party support, has brought improvements in efficiency and customer focus across a wide range of services provided by government.
The Government believe that the benefits from this change to civil service organisation can be developed further. Analysis of agency performance data shows that the need for continuous improvement has not always been given sufficient attention, in part because it has been overshadowed by the emphasis on agency creation. The Government are therefore marking a change in priorities by moving on from the agency creation phase of the Next Steps policy, and launching a new phase with the focus on performance. While agencies will continue to be created, the primary focus will be on further improving the quality, efficiency and convenience to users of agency services.
273WMinisters will be concerned to ensure that agency targets set out sufficiently clearly the level and direction of achievement required. Agencies will be encouraged to share best practice, including harnessing the full potential of IT and cooperating with other bodies beyond the agency boundaries. These themes will be further developed in the Better Government White Paper to be published later in the Spring. Building on the sound principles of Next Steps, it is our intention to see that the agencies of government are among the world leaders in delivering high quality, efficient and effective public services for the new Millennium.