My Department has a broad range of responsibilities and activities. These are grouped together in the Department's Statement of Strategy 2003-2005 under five pillars covering the following areas: enterprise, innovation and growth; quality work and learning; making markets and regulation work better; quality, value and continuous improvement; and the European Union. High level performance indicators are set for each of these five pillars.
An example of a high-level goal under pillar one is the prioritisation of investment in science, technology and innovation and the development of the knowledge society. High-level performance indicators for this goal include business expenditure on research and development, and gross expenditure on research and development. A high-level goal under pillar two involves ensuring that labour market policy responds to changing skills needs and prioritising investment that delivers better jobs, life-long learning for all and enhanced social inclusion. High-level performance indicators for this goal include: complete reviews of supports to the long-term unemployed and of the national employment service; and an action plan to implement policy for lifelong learning to be completed by the end of 2003 in agreement with the Department of Education and Science.
Under the Public Service Management Act, each Department is required to prepare an annual progress report on the implementation of the strategy statements. The Department's most recent annual report, published in May 2004, sets out progress against the achievement of goals set out in the Statement of Strategy 2003-2005.
My Department is currently reviewing the way in which Departmental performance indicators are set and reported on in the context of the Public Service Management Act requirement to prepare a new strategy statement within six months of the appointment of a new Minister and also to progress the roll-out of the management information framework. That process will establish a set of key performance indicators against which progress will be reported in subsequent annual reports. I envisage that, in line with practice in the current strategy statement, the diversity of my Department's responsibilities will require significantly more than five performance indicators.
