§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Dr. Lewis Moonie)The Chief Executive of the Met Office is responsible for providing meteorological and related environmental services, including climate change prediction, to a wide range of customers, including the armed forces, Government, civil aviation, shipping, emergency services, media, commerce, industry and the general public. The Met Office also undertakes research related to meteorology and climate.
The next 12 months will be one of considerable challenge for the Met Office as it completes its relocation from its present home in Bracknell to a brand new, 50WS purpose built headquarters and operations centre in Exeter. The move is believed to be one of the largest IT relocation projects ever undertaken in Europe. It is the Met Office's intention that the transition will be as seamless as possible from the perspective of its customers, but nevertheless it represents a significant upheaval for the staff and their families and its ultimate success will require the utmost dedication of all concerned. It is in the context of prioritising the maintenance of its service delivery to customers through relocation, and thereby establishing a solid base from which to improve future efficiency and profitability, that the Met Office has been set the following challenging targets for 2003–04:
KEY TARGET 1:
To achieve a value for the Numerical Weather Prediction Index of at least 111.8 on 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 2000.KEY TARGET 2:
To achieve a value for the Service Quality Index of at least 120.1 on 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 1997, in line with customer requirements.KEY TARGET 3:
To achieve a value for the Efficiency Index at 31 March 2004 of at least 120.1.KEY TARGET 4:
To deliver an operating profit before strategic investments of at least £14 million in FY 2003–04. This is in support of a long term target to achieve a return on capital employed, averaged over the period from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2007, of at least 4 per cent.KEY TARGET 5:
To transfer our Bracknell-based weather forecasting operations to our new operations centre in Exeter by 30 September 2003.KEY TARGET 6:
To achieve a total contribution from commercial activities in FY 2003–04 of at least £4.0 million.KEY TARGET 7:
To achieve a value for the Staff Skills Index of at least 107.5 by 31 March 2004, from a baseline of 100.0 as at 31 March 2001.