HC Deb 19 March 2001 vol 365 c24W
Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reason district councils have been excluded from the local public service agreements pilot schemes; and what plans he has to include district councils in the public service agreements scheme. [154141]

Ms Beverley Hughes

The local PSA pilot was taken forward with top-tier authorities rather than district councils because the majority of the national PSA targets that relate to local authority services relate to the services of top-tier authorities. The Local Government Association is working with a group of district councils on how the PSA approach might be applied to districts, and we will consider any proposals they make.

Mr. Gray

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reason district councils have been excluded from the local public service agreements pilot scheme; and if he will review this decision. [153844]

Ms Beverley Hughes

The local PSA pilot was taken forward with top-tier authorities rather than district councils because the majority of the national PSA targets that relate to local authority services relate to the services of top-tier authorities We will indeed review this decision in the future. The Local Government Association are working with a group of district councils on how the PSA approach might be applied to districts, and we will consider any proposals they make.