§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the services of his Department have not been reviewed under the Better Quality Services Initiative; and when they will be reviewed. [50317]
§ Mr. MacShaneMy noble Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster informed Departments on 6 February that he had decided to discontinue the Better Quality Services (BQS) scheme.
Three BQS reviews, of consular services, security and training are still in progress. All are expected to be completed by this summer. In addition the following BQS reviews remained in the programme agreed between the FCO and the Cabinet Office:
581WThe FCO is currently considering how best to conduct internal reviews of effectiveness in future, to provide assurance that high standards of performance, particularly in areas of customer focus and service delivery are achieved and maintained. Reviews of personnel and public diplomacy are already in hand.