HC Deb 29 April 1999 vol 330 cc264-5W
Mr. Dobbin

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Pesticides Safety Directorate for 1999 –2000. [83050]

Mr. Nick Brown

I have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

Quality of Service 1. To deliver the throughput of applications and processing times set out in the tables that follows this list. 2. To deliver high quality policy advice to Ministers and respond to their policy objectives. 3. To deliver high quality scientific work. 4. To conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey and respond positively to the results.

People 5. To maintain Investors in People accreditation.

Efficiency 6. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

Financial Performance 7. To recover from industry and Government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services. 8. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

Table 1: New substances and reviews
Application type Planned receipts Planned completions Processing time (weeks)
New Active Substances
Sift 13 16 21
Evaluation 20 12 52
Reviews—UK
UK anticholinesterase review Programme —full reviews 28 4
Other UK review activity 17 24
Reviews —EC
EU rapporteur reviews
Position on Annex 1 decisions 20 15
Total 98 71 190
1 Overall target —90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time

Note:

The figures for New Substances and Reviews are based on work in hand and forecasts from Industry and the Commission

Table 2: Technical secretariat
Application type Planned receipts Planned completions Processing time (weeks)
Normal 320 370 40
Departmental Normal 10 10 50
Experimental Permit 5 5 26
Departmental Experimental Permit 5 5 50
Extrapolated Experimental Approval 10 10 15
Emergency Off Label 25 25 12
Non-emergency Off Label 50 40 34
Fast 270 300 15
Administrative Fast 550 550 4
Post Annex 1 Approvals 55 55
Mutual Recognition 5 5
Other 5 50
Total 1,310 1,426
Total of Tables 1 and 2 1,408 1,496 190
1Overall target —90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time