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Annual Report and Accounts 2000-2001 |
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To ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of the Agency's business processes, through:
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The well-established disciplines of quarterly monitoring and review of financial and other results continued to be applied this year, and ensured that the Agency fulfilled its net running cost target.
Ease of access to detailed, current financial information was improved for managers and other users through the introduction of a new reporting tool. Management reports providing accruals-based information have been developed to help managers deal with the change of emphasis from cash to accruals-based accounting in central government.
During this year risk analysis received greater emphasis in the corporate planning process, in anticipation of the wider requirements for risk management in future years. Processes to capture and monitor risk assessments throughout the Agency have been put in place for the coming year.
Strategic Management Information System (SMIS)The Agency has invested time and resources in initiating development of a data warehouse, to combine the information held in operational systems with data from other sources. The warehouse enables maintenance of historic information to review past trends and to assist with prediction of future requirements. SMIS has resulted in easier access to Agency information and the ability for staff to interrogate or query specific items of interest, thereby supporting efficient review of resource use and providing information to support management decisions and strategy. EfficiencyFollowing the introduction of spectrum pricing, the Agency has adopted an enhanced definition of business volume. This more sophisticated definition encompasses assignments (which provide a much firmer indication of the work undertaken by the Agency), individual licences and weighting for the income generated from the public telecommunication network sector and the 3G and broadband auctions. RA has been working with the DTI Operational Research Unit (ORU) to review and develop the definition. ORU has recognised that the new definition represents an improvement on the previous more basic interpretation of volume, and is undertaking a detailed analysis to see if the methodology can be developed further. |
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1993 Devolved Licensing
Back in 1990 all licences were issued from RA headquarters in London. But it was becoming apparent that there might be a better way of serving our customers. RA staff working in district offices around the country knew the local lie of the land and so would have better information when it came to making assignments and understanding local problems. They could have closer contact with customers and would be familiar with their business requirements, right through from initial licensing to making changes or sorting out any problems customers might encounter throughout the lifetime of their radio systems. In 1991 a trial took place in Scotland to see if local licensing would be feasible. Despite (or possibly because of) the complete lack of computers, the trial was a success and further experiments were carried out, extending the issuing of standard PMR licences in the North of England and Northern Ireland. By autumn 1993 standard Private Business Radio licensing had been rolled out to RA local offices in all the regions. This was followed in July 1997 by Coastal Station Radio, in 1998 local offices started to process applications for on-site paging, local communications and suppliers' licences, and then in 1999 they took on Common Base Station licensing. The process continues; see Objective 2 of this Report. The devolution of licensing to the local office has had many benefits, the major one being the improved level of service we offer to our customers, whose radio requirements are now assessed by an engineer with knowledge and understanding of local conditions. |
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