§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets he has accepted through public service agreements with(a) the Isle of Wight council, (b) Lewisham council and (c) Staffordshire county council; and what steps he takes to monitor those targets or audit the quality of information delivered to him as to their performance against those targets. [62215]
§ Mr. LeslieI have been asked to reply.
A copy of the Local Public Service Agreement with the London borough of Lewisham is in the Library. We are currently finalising an agreement with Staffordshire county council. Negotiation of an agreement with the Isle of Wight council is scheduled to begin on 1 July 2002.
The targets relate to performance at the end of the period of the agreement; agreements normally run for around three years. An authority earns a reward grant for the achievement of its targets, and will provide information to enable the performance on which the grant is based to be verified.