§ Mr. CrausbyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to increase the productivity and reduce the running costs of his Department. [103843]
§ Mr. MorleyDelivering efficient and modern public services is a key part of the Government's agenda for improving productivity. Greater efficiency is being sought therefore within the public sector to ensure that the most effective results are obtained from available resources. The Ministry's Public Service Agreement (PSA) includes a range of measures for taking this forward, both within the Ministry itself and in other public sector bodies.
572WThose measures which will help raise the Ministry's own productivity are as follows:
(a) Better Quality Services
The Ministry will regularly and systematically review services and activities over a five year period in line with Government policy as set out in the handbook "Better Quality Services". A review programme has been developed, setting out those services that will be reviewed each year with the intention to review at least 60 per cent. of services by March 2003.
(b) Fraud
The Ministry will continue to apply controls to detect and prevent fraud and other irregularities under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) farm-based schemes. The Ministry has designated a fraud contact officer to promulgate ministry policy and to give specific advice to managers.
(c) Sickness Absence
In line with the central initiative to improve attendance, an internal audit of the sickness absence recording and monitoring systems has been completed and targets set for reducing absence.
(d) Electronic Government
The Ministry will exploit opportunities for electronic communications and will increase the proportion of business undertaken electronically to contribute to the Government's commitment to a target of at least 25 per cent. for electronic dealings with the public by 2002.
(e) Procurement
The Ministry will combine central responsibility for the management of procurement with devolution of operational procurement where appropriate; develop strategies for delivering best whole life cost solution, optimising operational savings and minimising the administrative costs of procurement; improve information and procedures, and education and training; and undertake benchmarking using maturity profile analysis techniques.
(f) Asset Sales
The Ministry will dispose of most of its surplus land and buildings by April 2000.
(g) CAP Administration
The Ministry aims to increase the productivity of CAP administration by developing, testing and implementing an integrated IT system for administering CAP schemes by March 2002.
(h) Efficiency
The Ministry will also pursue efficiency gains, and will continue to develop better measures of efficiency and extend these to cover a wide range of departmental activities and also the activities of its executive agencies.
The Ministry's running costs provision for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 is set out in its PSA. The productivity measures listed above will enable the Ministry to increase the quantity and quality of its outputs delivered by its running costs expenditure over this period.