Meteorological Office: Quinquennial Review (Hansard, 18 April 2002)

§ Lord Bach

The quinquennial review of the Met Office will begin this month. The aim of the review is to examine how the Met Office has performed since its launch as a trading fund within the Ministry of Defence and to recommend whether, and if so what, measures should be taken in order to reinforce the office's delivery of cost-effective services to its customers and to ensure that full use is made of its scientific and human assets.

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The review will proceed in two phases, in the first of which a number of "framework" issues will be examined, including whether the Met Office is best placed as a trading fund within the MoD to exploit its full potential and whether existing governance arrangements require adjustment. The report of this first phase of the review is expected in July.

In the second phase, the review will address, in the light of the answers to the "framework" issues examined in the first phase, a number of questions concerned with the operating efficiency of the Met Office, including the development of a more appropriate relationship between the office and its public sector customers, the scope for developing more commercial business opportunities, the potential for greater national and international cooperation in both meteorology and environmental services generally, and the scope for further streamlining of business processes both within the Met Office and between the office and its customers. The report of this second phase of the review is expected in October.

The review will be carried out by a small team, which will consult closely with Met Office management and other stakeholders, including the office's customers. The MoD is interested also to hear the views of other organisations or individuals who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to do so should send their contributions to:

The Met Office QQR Team
The Met Office,
London Road, Bracknell, Berks. RG12 2SZ