"Next Steps" Mr. Roger King To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on progress in the "next steps" initiative. Mr. Renton Progress is good. During April we expect the total of agencies launched to grow to 72. About 290,000 civil servants, half the total, will be working in agencies and other organisations operating on "next steps" lines. In addition, 27 candidates have been announced covering over 65,000 more civil servants. Many other areas are under consideration. As Cm 1760—"Improving Management in Government—the Next Steps Agencies, Review 1991"—shows, "next steps" is delivering benefits for customers, staff and taxpayers.------------------------------------------------ | | ------------------------------------------------ |Accounts Services Agency | ------------------------------------------------ |ADAS Agency2 | ------------------------------------------------ |Building Research Establishment | ------------------------------------------------ |Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments) | ------------------------------------------------ |Central Office of Information3 | ------------------------------------------------ |Central Science Laboratory2 | ------------------------------------------------ |Central Statistical Office | ------------------------------------------------ |Central Veterinary Laboratory | ------------------------------------------------ |Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment4| ------------------------------------------------ |Civil Service College | ------------------------------------------------ |Companies House3 | ------------------------------------------------ |Compensation Agency2 5 | ------------------------------------------------ |Defence Research Agency | ------------------------------------------------ |Directorate General of Defence Accounts4 | ------------------------------------------------ |Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency | ------------------------------------------------ |Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency2 5 | ------------------------------------------------ |Driving Standards Agency | ------------------------------------------------ |Duke of York's Royal Military School2 | ------------------------------------------------ |DVOIT2 | ------------------------------------------------ |Employment Service | ------------------------------------------------ |Fire Service College2 3 | ------------------------------------------------ |Forensic Science Service | ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- | | -------------------------------------------------------- |Historic Royal Palaces | -------------------------------------------------------- |Historic Scotland | -------------------------------------------------------- |HMS03 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Hydrographic Office4 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Insolvency Service | -------------------------------------------------------- |Intervention Board | -------------------------------------------------------- |Laboratory of the Government Chemist | -------------------------------------------------------- |Land Registry | -------------------------------------------------------- |Medicines Control Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Meteorological Office | -------------------------------------------------------- |Military Survey4 | -------------------------------------------------------- |National Engineering Laboratory | -------------------------------------------------------- |National Physical Laboratory | -------------------------------------------------------- |National Weights and Measures Laboratory | -------------------------------------------------------- |Natural Resources Institute | -------------------------------------------------------- |Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation2 4 | -------------------------------------------------------- |NHS Estates | -------------------------------------------------------- |Occupational Health Service | -------------------------------------------------------- |Ordnance Survey | -------------------------------------------------------- |Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland2 5 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Patent Office3 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Planning Inspectorate2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Public Record Office2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre | -------------------------------------------------------- |Queen Victoria School2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Radiocommunications Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |RAF Maintenance4 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Rate Collection Agency5 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Registers of Scotland | -------------------------------------------------------- |Royal Mint3 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Scottish Agricultural Science Agency2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Service Children's Schools (North West Europe)4 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Social Security Agency5 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Social Security Benefits Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Social Security Contributions Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Social Security Information Technology Services Agency| -------------------------------------------------------- |Social Security Resettlement Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Teachers' Pensions Agency2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |The Buying Agency5 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Training and Employment Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Transport Research Laboratory2 | -------------------------------------------------------- |United Kingdom Passport Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Valuation Office | -------------------------------------------------------- |Vehicle Certification Agency | -------------------------------------------------------- |Vehicle Inspectorate3 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Veterinary Medicines Directorate | -------------------------------------------------------- |Warren Spring Laboratory | -------------------------------------------------------- |Wilton Park Conference Centre | -------------------------------------------------------- |72 in number | -------------------------------------------------------- |Customs and Excise6 (30 executive units) | -------------------------------------------------------- |Inland Revenue6 (34 executive offices) | -------------------------------------------------------- |Total7 | -------------------------------------------------------- |Number of civil servants in the above total8 | -------------------------------------------------------- The list of candidates for agency status announced by Ministers is as follows: ----------------------------------------------------- | | ----------------------------------------------------- |Army Logistics9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Chessington Computer Centre | ----------------------------------------------------- |Child Support Agency5 10 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Common Services Division9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Defence Animal Centre9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Defence Operational Analysis Establishment9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Defence Postal Courier Service9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Defence Statistics Organisation9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Directorate Information Technology Bureau Services9| ----------------------------------------------------- |Equipment Test and Evaluation9 | ----------------------------------------------------- |Fuel Suppliers Branch | ----------------------------------------------------- |Her Majesty's Prison Service | ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- | | ---------------------------------------------- |Human Factors Research9 | ---------------------------------------------- |Meat Hygiene Service11 | ---------------------------------------------- |Ministry of Defence Police9 | ---------------------------------------------- |Naval Training9 | ---------------------------------------------- |Office of Population Censuses and Surveys | ---------------------------------------------- |Pesticide Safety Directorate | ---------------------------------------------- |Property Division | ---------------------------------------------- |Property Holdings Portfolio Management | ---------------------------------------------- |Royal Air Force Training9 | ---------------------------------------------- |Royal Parks | ---------------------------------------------- |Scottish Office Superannuation | ---------------------------------------------- |Scottish Prison Service | ---------------------------------------------- |Social Security Child Support Agency12 | ---------------------------------------------- |Valuation and Lands Office5 | ---------------------------------------------- |Youth Treatment Service | ---------------------------------------------- |TOTAL (27 in number)7 | ---------------------------------------------- |Number of civil servants in the above total8| ---------------------------------------------- Mr. John Marshall To ask the Minister for the Civil Service how many chief executives of "next steps" agencies have been recruited following open competition. Mr. Renton The Government's objective in appointing agency chief executives is to get the right person for the job. Open competition is now the norm, and about two thirds of chief executives and chief executives-designate —47 out of 74—have been recruited in this way.