HL Deb 12 July 2002 vol 637 cc110-1WA
Lord Bruce of Donington

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What key targets have been set for the Veterans Agency for financial year 2002–03. [HL5251]

Lord Bach

The key targets that have been set for the chief executive of the new Veterans Agency for 2002–03 are as follows:

Service

Key Target 1: To reduce the average time it takes to issue decisions on claims to war pensions to no more than 82 working days. This is an improvement of eight working days on the agency's 2001–02 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 18 per cent against its 2000–01 baseline level of 100 working days.

Key Target 2: To reduce the average time it takes to issue decisions on war widow(er)s claims to no more than 34 working days. This is an improvement of two working days on the agency's 2001–02 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 5 per cent against its 2000–01 baseline level of 36 working days.

Key Target 3: To achieve an externally validated claims accuracy rate of at least 95 per cent.

Personnel

Key Target 4: To carry out an externally validated programme of internal IiP assessment during 2002–03 to determine whether the agency continues to meet the requirements of the IiP standards.

Working in Partnership

Key Target 5: To work with the Lord Chancellor's Department's Court Service to reduce the average time it takes an appeal to pass through the war pensions appeals process. By 31 March 2003 the average time should reduce to no more than 310 working days. This is an improvement of 198 working days on the agency's 2001–02 target; and it represents a cumulative improvement of 45 per cent against its 2000–01 baseline level of 565 working days.

Efficiency

Key Target 6: To develop a methodology for costing agency outputs to provide the baseline to measure any future years' business efficiencies.