Tony WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the performance targets that his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet, apart from those set out in the public service agreements for 1999 to 2002 and 2001 to 2004; and if he will specify for each target(a) who sets it and (b) who monitors achievement against it. [60465]
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§ Mr. Nicholas BrownThe Department's public service agreement is supported by a number of lower level performance targets. These are set out in our service delivery agreement (SDA), the business plans of our agencies and, where appropriate, in the business plans and annual performance agreements of the non-departmental public bodies that are sponsored by the Department.
The SDA and agency targets are set by the Secretary of State and are rigorously monitored using a process that includes external challenge. The arrangements for monitoring performance against targets are set out in the planning and performance section of the departmental framework.
The Department sponsors 10 non-departmental public bodies, which perform a number of executive, advisory and tribunal functions at arms-length from the Department. Each of the four executive bodies and one tribunal body has a senior accountable official within the Department who agrees targets and monitors performance against them. The work of the Department's advisory bodies is reported in ad hoc papers or their annual reports.
A copy of the SDA has been placed in the Library. Copies of the departmental framework, which includes details of the agencies and the non-departmental public bodies, and the other documents are available in the Library.