§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the progress of Phase three of the Public Sector Benchmarking project relating to the use of the Business Excellence Model. [125940]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyThe Public Sector Benchmarking Project promotes the EFQM Excellence Model (previously the Business Excellence Model) to the public sector. Phase three, which begun in April 1998, includes arrangements for easy access to training and support at reduced rates. Since then, the project has introduced over 1,000 public sector organisations to the Model.
The Model is now used throughout the public sector, including local government, central Government, schools, hospitals, police forces, fire brigades, Agencies and non-departmental public bodies. It is used in support of the Modernising Government agenda, through policies such as Best Value and Better Quality Services.
We are not complacent. We are studying further the impact of the Excellence Model to help us decide how we can improve our efforts to maximise the use of the Excellence Model in the public sector.
The Public Sector Benchmarking Project is now known as the Public Sector Excellence Programme.
Table 1—Data relating to DFEE responsibilities which are collated by Parliamentary Constituency. Subject area Availability/frequency of publication/reference period Working age employment rates Annually for 1996, 1997 and 1998. 1999 data due in January 2001. Published by ONS Working age economic activity rates As above ILO unemployment rates As above but only available for about 80 constituencies due to small samples sizes Claimant unemployment rates and claimant unemployment levels by age and duration Monthly from January 1996. Latest available data is for April 2000. Published by ONS Employee jobs by industry 1995–98 data are available currently. Next update for 1999 due in March 2001. Published by ONS. Average earnings of full-time employees Available for 1998 and 1999. Published by ONS. New Deal for Young People Statistics Available quarterly and updated quarterly Proportion of 15 year old pupils in schools achieving 5 or more A*-C GCSE/GNVQs (by parliamentary constituency of the school) Collated for 1998–99 Proportion of 15 year old pupils in schools with 1 or more A*-G GCSE/GNVQs (by parliamentary constituency of the school) Collated for 1998–99 Proportion of school pupils achieving level 4 at Key Stage 2 in English and Maths. (by parliamentary constituency of school) Collated for 1998–99 1997–98 Individual College Results: median college (by parliamentary constituency of college) Collated for 1997–98 Class sizes (by parliamentary constituency of school) Collated for January 200 A-level results (by parliamentary constituency of school/college) Collated for 1998–99 Unauthorised absences—Percentage half days missed due to unauthorised absences (by parliamentary constituency of school) Collated for 1998–99 Note:
Other information collected in the Annual Schools Census, and school performance data using other measures than those quoted, could not be collated by constituency