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Annual Report & Accounts 1998 - 1999 |
Quality of Service
 Radio is at the cutting edge of many new technologies |
The Agency places customers at the focus of its activities. It is
committed to responding to their needs by providing high standards of service. The Agency
is set each year a series of Ministerial targets as well as an overall efficiency target.
During 1998/99, the Agency met its efficiency target and thirteen out of sixteen of its
published Ministerial targets.
In addition, the Agency aims to meet the Whitehall-wide 'Service First' standards for central Government that were set out in the Modernising Government White Paper. The Agency has effective procedures in place for making information available, consulting customers, handling complaints and ensuring accessibility in accordance with the standards and 99% of correspondence was dealt with within the specified time. It continues its policy of complying with the Charter Programme and has produced a Charter Statement as set out in leaflet RA251. Details of performance are given in tables 3 and 4. |
Table 3: Performance Against Ministerial Quality of Service Targets
TARGETS |
ACHIEVEMENTS |
|||
| 1998-99 | 1997-98 |
1996-97 | ||
| QUALITY OF SERVICE TARGETS 1998/99 Results |
||||
| Licence Category A | ||||
| Applications & Amendments |
100% |
100% |
100% | 98% |
| Licence Category B | ||||
| Applications & Amendments |
at least 90% in 15 days | 99% |
97% | 96% |
| remainder in 25 days | 1% |
1% | 2% | |
| Licence Category C | ||||
| Applications & Amendments |
at least 90% in 40 days | X80% |
X86% | 93% |
| remainder in 60 days | 18% |
14% | 7% | |
| (see notes below for explanation of categories) | ||||
| Licence Renewals (Cat D) | ||||
| Category A | 100% in 5 days | 100% |
100% | 100% |
| Category B & C | 100% in 10 days | 94% |
98% | 69% |
| Enforcement | ||||
| Safety of Life | 100% in 24 hours | 100% |
100% | 100% |
| Business Services | 98% in 5 days | 100% |
100% | 99% |
| remainder in 15 days (from 1998) | 0% |
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| Domestic TV & Radio | 98% in 1 month | 100% |
100% | 100% |
| remainder in 2 months (from 1998) | 0% |
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| Chief Executive's Correspondence | 100% in 10 days | 100% |
89% | 100% |
| Enquiries | 95% in 30 seconds | 95% |
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| 92% in 30 seconds | 97% | 97% | ||
| Prompt Payment | 97.5% in 30 days | 99% |
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| remainder in 60 days | 1% |
|||
| 95% in 30 days | 96% | 95% | ||
| These targets are explained below | ||||
Category A comprising licences that involve no frequency assignment, site clearance or international co-ordination: 100% of applications for new licences or variations to licences to be processed and despatched within 5 working days. Includes amateur, citizens' band, aircraft and aeronautical, fixed links (58GHz), local authority emergency alarms, private business radio suppliers, road construction, on-site paging (standard) and ships' radio.
Category B comprising licences that involve frequency assignment but no site clearance or international co-ordination: 90% of applications for new licences or variations to licences to be processed and despatched within 15 working days, with the remainder to be processed and despatched within 25 working days or an explanation for any delay provided to the applicant. Includes coastal station radio, private wide-area paging, all other areas of private business radio and programme-making & special events.
Category C comprising licences that involve frequency assignment and site clearance and/or international co-ordination: 90% of applications for new licences or variations to licences to be processed and despatched within 40 working days, and the remainder to be processed and despatched within 60 working days or an explanation for the delay to be provided to the applicant. Includes licences under category B where site clearance and/or international co-ordination is required, fixed links (other than 58 GHz), point-to-multipoint services (31 GHz), scanning telemetry and common base stations.
Table 4: Performance Against Service First Standards 1998/1999
| STANDARD | PERFORMANCE |
| To respond to all letters, except for formal complaints, within 15 working days of receipt | The standard was met in 99% of cases. |
| To see callers within 10 minutes of their appointment | Over 85% of visitors were seen within 10 minutes of their appointment time. |
| Provide information and a telephone enquiry point | The Agency makes all its information (annua reports, information sheets, consultative documents, technical specifications) available free of charge on request. They are also accessible on its website. The Agency has a published telephone number and address for enquiries. The enquiry point is manned during office hours and there is a 24- hour automatic call handling system. During the year Enquiry Officers dealt with 68,741 enquiries (3% up on last year) and succeeded in meeting their target of answering 95% of all calls within 30 seconds. |
| Consult users and report on findings | As described in more detail above, the Agency produces a number of consultative documents on a regular basis. These are published on the Agency's website and made available free of charge. The Agency runs a series of roadshows each year and welcomes feedback from customers. Responses to consultations are routinely published except where confidentiality is requested. |
| To have a formal complaints procedure | The Agency has a formal complaints procedure, details of which are published in hard copy and on its website. If Agency staff cannot resolve the issue the complaint can be referred upwards to the Chief Executive and the Agency Steering Board |
| To make services accessible | In addition to making publications available in hard copy and electronically, the Agency makes its services accessible through its network of local offices. It also provides a text telephone service for people with impaired hearing. |
Quality of service targets are reviewed annually to take into account performance achieved and customers' views. Ministers have approved quality of service targets for 1999/2000 as follows:
Issue of Licences
As footnotes above.
Licence Renewals
Applications to renew or to reissue licences in category A to be processed and documents to be despatched within 5 working days; applications to renew or to reissue licences in categories B and C to be processed and despatched within 10 working days.
Enforcement
Handling of reports of interference to radio services:
100% of reports involving safety of life services to be investigated within 24 hours.
Damian Murphy, Enquiry |
Correspondence The Chief Executive to respond within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him by Ministers for reply and to all complaints addressed to him about the Agency's services. Enquiries The Agency telephone enquiry point to answer 95% of calls within 30 seconds, where the caller elects to speak to an operator. Prompt Payment 100% of all invoices received in the Agency to be paid within 30 days or within the timescale agreed by suppliers. |
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