§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the public service agreement target for efficiency in the criminal justice system. [17064]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThere is a broad range of activity to modernise and improve all of the criminal justice organisations. This work has enabled us to achieve our Youth Justice Pledge of halving the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders.
The Government are also considering and consulting on two major reports (Making Sentencing Work— report of the Review of the Sentencing Framework for England and Wales, and Lord Justice Auld's Review of the Criminal Courts In England and Wales) which will lead to wide ranging programmes to improve efficiency in the Criminal Justice System. Although there is no cross-cutting public service agreement target for efficiency, the public service agreement does contain a value for money target which it is envisaged will be set by March 2002.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance his Department provided in 2000–01 to those charities which are on the central register of charities but did not receive guidance under the public service agreement target set out on page 169 of the 2001 Department report. [21283]
§ Angela EagleNone. This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department which has a range of statutory powers to help and supervise charities. The Chief Charity Commissioner will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the public service agreement target to ensure by March 2001 that charities are able to operate for their proper purpose by increasing the percentage of cases where legal authority is exercised at Charity Commission instigation was achieved; [21280]
831W(2) if the public service agreement target for efficiency gains in the Charity Commission was achieved in 2000–01; [21285]
(3) what is the role of the Charity Commission in the cases in which it does not initiate the provision of substantive guidance on governance and administration; [21290]
(4) if the public service agreement target for the staff cost per charity monitored was achieved by March 2001; [21277]
(5) if the public service agreement target to monitor 85 per cent. of the target grant of charities by March 2001 was achieved; [21278]
(6) if the public service agreement target to benchmark impact indicators for the Charity Commission and implement them from January was achieved; [21287]
(7) what progress was made in 2000–01 in reducing absence on sick leave by staff of the Charity Commission; [21286]
(8) if the public service agreement target to improve by March 2001 the effectiveness of charities' operations by the Commission initiating the provisions of substantive guidance on governance and administration was achieved; [21279]
(9) if the public service agreement to increase the cost effectiveness of the Charity Commission's investigative results to 90 per cent. was achieved; [21276]
(10) if the public service agreement target to determine by March 2001 charities status within 95 working days of the application for registration being received was achieved; [21281]
(11) if the public service agreement target to provide guidance by 31 March 2001 to 58 per cent. of charities which are placed on the central register of charities was achieved. [21282]
§ Angela EagleThese are matters for the Charity Commission, who will write to the hon. Member. A copy of the Commission's reply will be placed in the Library.