§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the 1998 Next Steps report. [75077]
§ Dr. Jack CunninghamThe Government have today published the 1998 Next Steps Report, Cm 4273, which has been laid in both Houses. This Report brings together performance and trend data on 136 executive agencies and two departments operating on Next Steps lines.
The Report shows that overall nearly 76 per cent. of targets were achieved and that, where comparisons can be made with previous years, performance against targets has improved in 52 per cent. of cases.
With the introduction of Public Service Agreements (PSAs), Government have set out in precise and quantified form what improvements it is seeking to achieve over the next 3 years. Agencies will have a very important part to play in helping Ministers deliver those results. Agencies' objectives and targets are being 748W redefined to ensure that they reflect the Government's new objectives and priorities. The degree of challenge which is built in to the PSA targets will help to ensure that agency targets are themselves set at a sufficiently stretching level, encouraging agencies to be innovative and enterprising in tackling improvement.
The Government will be publishing before Easter a White Paper on "Modernising Government" which will set out a vision for the future of public services. One of its main themes will be the need to increase co-operation across traditional bureaucratic boundaries so that public services can be delivered more cost-effectively and be better tuned to the needs of the user. Agencies, as the main service delivery arm of the Civil Service, will have a vital role to play in fostering this growth in co-operative solutions.
It is essential that continuous pressure be applied to improve individual agency performance but this must be seen increasingly within the context of contribution to broader goals.