Statement of Service Performance for the year ended 30 June 2008

OUTPUT CLASS - POLICY ADVICE

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service provides policy advice and related services in relation to border security, border management and Customs revenue.  

This includes analysis and advice to the Minister, Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, parliamentary select committees, inter-departmental committees and other government agencies, as well as advice and assistance to overseas customs agencies and relevant international forums.  

This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Border Security; Community Protection; Customs Revenue; Trade and Tourism Support; and Border Management Assurance.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
6,208	Crown	8,119	8,130	6,334
929	Other	874	964	895
7,137	Total Revenue	8,993	9,094	7,229
7,171	Expenses	9,038	9,094	7,229
(34)	Surplus/(Deficit)	(45)	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual     07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
Yes	Policy work programme advanced to    the position agreed or subsequently  amended by agreement between the Minister and the Chief Executive	Yes	Yes	-
Yes	International work programme advanced to the position agreed or subsequently amended by agreement between the Minister and the Chief Executive	Yes	Yes	-
172	Draft responses to parliamentary questions and ministerial correspondence provided	111	220-270	-49.5%
New measure	New Zealand Aid funding provided to Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO)	Yes	Yes	-
New measure	Business case for enhanced border management systems provided for consideration by Ministers (as required to meet Budget 2008 timelines)	Yes	Yes	-
	Quality
Yes	Policy advice conforms to the quality characteristics set out in the attachment to the 2007/08 Output Plan, as assessed by the Minister’s satisfaction	Yes	Yes	-
New Measure	Relevant agencies satisfied with Customs’ international engagement, as demonstrated by an annual survey	Yes	Yes	-
81.3%	Draft replies to ministerial correspondence provided within 20 working days from the time of receipt by Customs	69.7%	90%	-22.6%
New measure	Draft replies to ministerial correspondence provided within 30 working days from the time of receipt by Customs unless specifically provided for	95.5%	100%	-4.5%
Yes	All relevant policy advice subjected to formal peer review processes	Yes	Yes	-

Explanation of significant variances  

Draft responses to parliamentary questions and ministerial correspondence provided The forecast of 220-270 is comprised of a forecast of 100-120 draft replies to ministerial correspondence and 120-150 draft answers to parliamentary questions.  In 2007/08, Customs provided 89 draft replies to ministerial correspondence (a variance of -11% from the forecast) and 22 draft answers to parliamentary questions (a variance of -81.7% from the forecast). These measures are demand driven and, therefore, difficult to forecast. 

Draft replies to ministerial correspondence provided within specified timeframes A number of the draft replies to ministerial correspondence related to a complex issue requiring legal and policy consideration, and subsequently a legislative amendment. As a result, these replies were not completed within the 20 and/or 30 working day timeframes. On a broader front, internal processes were revised during the year to assist Customs in meeting the 20 working day turnaround more consistently. 

Comments  

Policy work programme being advanced to agreed position and policy advice conforming to quality characteristics, as assessed by the Minister’s satisfactionThe Minister’s satisfaction is communicated by way of her response to reports provided by Customs, each report covering a period of two months, seeking her feedback on her satisfaction (or otherwise) with the quality and progress of policy advice provided during that period. The Minister’s responses indicated that she was mostly satisfied with the quality and progress of Customs’ policy advice.

Output Class – Intelligence and Risk Assessment Services  

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service provides intelligence and risk assessments that inform intervention strategies, including alerts for goods, people and craft crossing the border. This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Border Security; Community Protection; and Border Management Assurance.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
4,335	Crown	3,924	3,926	4,684
82	Other	69	231	85
4,417	Total Revenue	3,993	4,157	4,769
4,341	Expenses	3,966	4,157	4,769
76	Surplus/(Deficit)	27	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Qantity
1,996	Intelligence and operational risk products completed for external use, nationally and internationally	1,623	1,900 - 2,100	-14.6%
37,161	Alerts created	32,858	27,500 - 31,500	4.3%
15.949m	Organisational transactions scanned across alerts managed	17,026m	16.5 - 19.5m	-
	Quantity
94.1%	Intelligence and operational risk assessments that identify actual operational risk	98.1%	Min 90%	-
83.3%	National and international clients are satisfied with the intelligence and risk products	95%	Min 80%	-

 

Explanation of significant variances 

Intelligence and operational risk products completed for external use, nationally and internationally The 2007/08 forecast was increased considerably based on the numbers completed in previous years consistently trending upwards.  As it is now considered that the expected number for the 2007/08 financial year was overestimated, the forecast for 2008/09 has been lowered.

Output Class – Clearance of International Passengers, Crew and Craft  

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service produces services relating to the clearance of international passengers, crew and craft arriving in and departing from New Zealand.  This includes the profiling of potential risks and applying any alert instructions that might exist in respect of passengers and crew.  

Services provided include ensuring that arriving and departing craft comply with the law, that passengers and crew comply with Customs, Immigration, Police and national security requirements, and that the import and export of goods complies with the law. Particular attention is paid to preventing the entry of controlled drugs and the illegal import or export of other controlled items.  
This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Community Protection; Trade and Tourism Support; and Border Management Assurance.  

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08   Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
34,582	Crown	38,645	38,789	37,949
1,157	Other	1,289	1,147	762
35,739	Total Revenue	39,934	39,936	38,711
35,945	Expenses	39,824	39,936	38,711
(206)	Surplus/(Deficit)	110	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
9.421m	International travellers cleared	9.946m	9.4 - 9.8m	1.5%
4,994	Marine craft, other than marine small craft, cleared	5,229	4,750 - 5,100	2.5%
1,190	Clearances of arriving or departing marine small craft undertaken	1,280	1,250 - 1,400	-
	Quality
95.7%	Arriving international commercial air passengers exiting Customs Control Points within 45 minutes of arrival	95.3%	Min 90%	-
New measure	Arriving international commercial air passengers exiting Customs Control Points within 60 minutes of arrival	98.5%	Min 98%	-
100%	Air and marine travellers subject to an alert processed in accordance with the alert instructions	99.42%	Min 99.9%	-0.48%
100%	Commercial marine craft boarded at first port of arrival in New Zealand	100%	100%	-
New measure	Additional interactions with international travellers arriving or departing on a commercial service taking place at different levels of intrusiveness	120,851	12,000 - 160,000	-

Interactions with international travellers to provide specific benefits  

Customs outcome benefiting	Nature of benifit	Actual 07/08
Border  Mangement                          Assurance	Passengers referred to other agencies  for action Passengers refused entry to New Zealand as a result to of NZCS interactions	Yes (total of 21,424) Yes
Community Protection	Prohibited imports and exports are detected Specified examples of prohibited imports and exports detected:        Fake identity documents and materials for making them      Classified drugs, drug paraphernalia and medicines Firearms and weapons Objectionable material including child pornography        Pounamu and other taonga Items of cultural and heritage interest	Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Trade Support	Intellectual Property Rights breaches detected	Yes

 

Explanation of significant variances  

Air and marine travellers subject to an alert processed in accordance with alert instructions
While this activity was -0.48% below the forecast, in most instances the risk was mitigated. The relevant travellers subject to an alert were identified and further intervention often resulted in the person being assessed as low risk.  

OUTPUT CLASS - CLEARANCE OF IMPORT, EXPORT AND EXCISE TRANSACTIONS

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service provides services relating to the validation, checking, inspection, clearance and audit of import and export consignments, and excise returns. Services provided include the screening of import and export mail items.  

This includes services relating to various levels of intervention to detect error or fraud, to ensure import and export control systems are complied with, and to ensure that the correct classification, origin and value are declared and appropriate duties and taxes are being paid, and refunds, drawbacks and revenue foregone are correctly assessed.  

This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Community Protection; Customs Revenue; Trade and Tourism Support; and Border Management Assurance.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08   Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
12,915	Crown	13,675	13,465	15,771
27,546	Other	29,678	30,065	30,450
40,461	Total Revenue	43,353	43,530	46,221
(1,142)	Surplus/(Deficit)	(171)	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
47.894m	Import, including mail, transactions validated	43.804m	47.4 - 52.8m	-7.6%
30.187m	Export, including mail, transactions validated	28.993m	26.5 - 33.2m	-
5,020	Excise returns validated	5,057	4,588 - 5,070	-
New Measure	Verifications carried out	0.753	1.1 - 1.4m	-31.5%
43.8%	Percentage of container exports to the United States represented by Secure Export Scheme partners	45.6%	40 - 50 %	-
	Quality
99.5%	Import and export transactions (other than those referred for compliance checks) processed (including assessment against business rules and intelligence alerts) within agreed timeframes	99.5%	Min 95%
Yes	Secure Exports Scheme continued to comply with requirements of the Supply Chain Security Arrangement with the United States	Yes	Yes	-

Compliance checking/verification activities to provide specific benefits

Customs outcome benefiting	Nature of benefit	Actual 07/08
Border mangement assurance	Verified items found compliant	Yes
Trade Suppport	ntellectual Property Rights breaches detected	Yes
Community Protection	Prohibited imports and exports are detected Specified examples of prohibited imports and exports detected:       Classified drugs, drug paraphernalia and medicines Firearms and weapons Objectionable material including child pornography  Pounamu and other taonga  Items of cultural and heritage interest  Deceptive and unsafe goods Flora and fauna	Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Customs Revenue	It is expected that a minimum of $15 millionrevenue leakage will be captured as a result of verification activities	Yes (total of  $29,629,873 captured)

Explanation of significant variances

Import, including mail, transactions validated and verifications carried out
The lower than forecast number of import transactions and verifications is principally due to the lower mail volumes processed. The number of mail items screened has decreased by around 4.8 million in 2007/08 (from 43.57m in 2006/07 to 38.76m in 2007/08). While there has been a drop in the total number of mail items due to a decrease in the volume of letter mail, overall mail volume by weight has not decreased as the number of small packet and parcel mail has increased.
The number of mail items set aside for secondary screening decreased by 61% (from 520,293 in 2006/07 to 200,735 in 2007/08). Despite this decrease in total mail items subjected to secondary screening, there was a significant increase (of 53% from 2006/07) in the number of detections at the International Mail Centre. The resources required to process the additional detections also had the effect of fewer resources being available to undertake secondary screening of mail. 
The decrease in the number of verifications carried out on air and sea freight is a result of Customs adjusting its approach to screening of such items to better target its resources to risk.

OUTPUT CLASS - REVENUE COLLECTION, ACCOUNTING AND DEBT MANAGEMENT

Under this Output Class the New Zealand Customs Service provides services relating to the receipt and processing of revenues owing from import tariffs, goods and services tax and excise-equivalent duties on imported goods and excise duty on domestically manufactured fuel, tobacco and alcohol products.This includes the cost of paying approved refunds and drawbacks of tariffs, excise and excise-equivalent duties.  

Customs also provides services relating to credit control and the management of debt and the receipt and processing of fees and levies on behalf of other agencies.  

The output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Customs Revenue; and Trade and Tourism Support.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
1,475	Crown	2,809	2,862	2,742
1,359	Other	247	287	270
2,834	Total Revenue	3,056	3,149	3,012
(38)	Surplus/(Deficit)	(40)	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
$8,872m	Crown Revenue collected	$9,256m	$8,876m[1]	4.3%
$2313.157m	Value of payments made for Agency levies	$283.6m	$267.7m	5.9%
586	New applications for Deferred Payment and Credit Facility for Broker accounts processed	560	550 - 700	-
	Quality
Yes	Professional, best practice credit management that complies with Customs’ Credit Control and Debt Management policies and procedures and is consistent with the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and related commercial legislation e.g., the Companies Act 1993	Yes	Yes	-
Yes	Effective and timely management of debt, with aged debt profiles to be trending downwards in volume and in $’s outstanding, and debt write-offs to be no more than 0.01% of total Crown revenue collected	Yes	Yes	-

[1] This is the standard contained in the Statement of Intent 2007-2008. 
The latest Treasury forecast (BEFU) as at 30 April 2008 was $9,183m.

Explanation of significant variances 

Crown revenue collected and value of payments made for agency levies The Crown revenue collected and value of payments made for agency levies were higher than the 2007/08 Main Estimates forecast provided by Treasury and other agencies.  

OUTPUT CLASS - SURVILLANCE, SEARCH AND CONTAINMENT

Under this Output Class the New Zealand Customs Service provides services to control the risk of craft being used for the illegal entry or removal of people and goods from New Zealand.

This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Community Protection; and Border Management Assurance.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual  $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
5,880	Crown	6,463	6,456	6,271
137	Other	146	131	115
6,017	Total Revenue	6,609	6,587	6,386
6,078	Expenses	6,544	6,587	6,386
(61)	Surplus/(Deficit)	65	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
12,256	Officer hours applied to patrol and surveillance	11,338	10,000 - 12,500	-
192	Targeted operational responses	156	135-165
New measure	Readiness exercises undertaken	7	6 - 10	-
	Quantity
New measure	Operational responses targeted to all vessels risk assessed as high or very high	91.5%	Min 95%	-3.7%
New measure	Operational responses targeted to all arriving commercial vessels	8.0%	Min 5%	-
80.4%	Planned patrol and surveillance hours carried out in accordance with the patrol and surveillance plans for each location	92.4%	Min 80%	-
94.6%	Planned targeted responses carried out in accordance with the operational response plans for each event	96.8%	Min 80%	-
New measure	Risk management and response strategies in place to manage the risk of arriving and departing small craft	Yes	Yes	-
New measure	Targeted patrol and surveillance plans risk based and proportional to risk	Yes	Yes	-
New measure	Readiness exercises subject to agreed plans and/or guidelines and debriefed to agencies involved	Yes	Yes	-

Explanation of significant variances  

Operational responses targeted to vessels assessed as high or very high risk During the year, there were 47 vessels assessed as high or very high risk. Planned targeted responses were made in all instances in which a vessel was assessed as high or very high risk except four. Three of these instances related to a particular vessel which had regular and multiple arrivals in New Zealand (in all other instances of that vessel’s arrival, a planned targeted response was undertaken). In two of these instances, while a search of the vessel was not undertaken, Customs undertook targeted surveillance activity. In the other instance, resources were not available to undertake any activity in relation to that vessel as they were required for a higher priority drug operation. A response was not made in relation to the other instance in which a vessel was identified as high or very high risk as the vessel, having already been cleared for departure, returned to port to offload a sick crewman. As the vessel spent minimal time in port and departed immediately after offloading the crewman, it was not considered that any targeted response was necessary in this circumstance.

OUTPUT CLASS - INVESTIGATION OF OFFENCES

Under this Output Class the New Zealand Customs Service provides proactive and reactive investigative responses to serious trans-national crime, trans-national crime and other border offending and revenue offences. This includes the investigation of specific offences, and/or information/intelligence held or received involving any known or suspected border offending.  

This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes:  Community Protection; Trade and Tourism Support; Customs Revenue; and Border Management Assurance

30/6/07 Actual  $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
9,027	Crown	8,968	8,981	9,168
251	Other	305	381	257
9,278	Total Revenue	9,273	9,362	9,425
9,128	Expenses	9,343	9,362	9,425
150	Surplus/(Deficit)	(70)	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
Amended measure	Investigation cases commenced	1,831	1,200 - 1,800	1.7%
987	Investigation cases investigated to completion	1,058	800 - 1,000	5.8%
	Quality
New measure	Investigative priority accorded to those investigations where intelligence and investigative processes identified a recognised level of threat to New Zealand based on the involvement of trans-national criminal activity, the harm potential of the commodities involved, the quantities of commodity involved, and/or the nature and complexity of the offending	Yes	Yes	-
New measure	Investigative activity generated information for future use by Customs and other enforcement agencies	Yes	Yes	-
Amended measure	Procedures in place to ensure cases are appropriately commenced and case management and legal review procedures in place to minimise the Crown’s exposure to risks of litigation	Yes	Yes	-
New measure	Investigation cases finalised within 12 months of commencement	79.2%	Min 90%	-12.0%
72.4%	Cases meeting high and medium priority crime criteria investigated to completion	74.4%	Min 80%	-7.0%

Investigative activity to provide specific benefits

Customs outcome benefiting	Nature of benefit	Actual 07/08
Border management assurance	Evidence of a quality to inform a prosecution is obtained about fake identity documents and materials for making them	Yes
Trade Support	Evidence is obtained to support litigation of Intellectual Property Rights breaches	Yes
Community Protection	Evidence of a quality to inform a prosecution is obtained about prohibited imports and exports: Specified examples of prohibited imports and exports about which evidence is obtained:  Classified drugs, drug paraphernalia and medicines           Firearms and weapons Objectionable material including child pornography Pounamu and other taonga Items of cultural and heritage interest   Deceptive and unsafe goods Flora and fauna	Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes
Customs	Evidence is obtained to support prosecution of Revenue Fraud and support Revenue-related litigation	Yes

Explanation of significant variances  

Investigation cases finalised within 12 months and cases meeting high and medium priority investigated to completion These performance measures have not been achieved as investigations are becoming more complex and time consuming due to:

• changes in offender habits
• the complexity of modus operandi
• the duration and complexity of investigative efforts
• the increasing number of total cases
• delays in investigations progressing to court due to the number of trials awaiting a court date.

OUTPUT CLASS - PROSECUTION AND CIVIL PROCEEDINGS

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service provides services relating to the prosecution of offences under the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and civil proceedings provided for under that Act relating to the hearing of applications for the release of seized goods.  

This output class makes a significant contribution to the following outcomes: Community Protection; and Customs Revenue.

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
825	Crown	893	893	874
18	Other	16	16	17
843	Total Expenses	909	909	891
843	Expenses	866	909	891
9	Surplus/(Deficit)	43	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
55	Prosecutions commenced	64	35 – 45	42.2%
	Quality
97.1%	Prosecutions concluded that were successful	98.2%	Min 80%	-
0%	Cases lodged with the court incurring adverse judicial comment	0%	Max 5%	-

Explanation of significant variances  

Prosecutions commenced
This activity is difficult to forecast as it depends on the level of offending at a particular time.  The total was particularly affected by the high number of unauthorised delivery prosecutions taken against three companies in the second quarter of the year (for infringing the provisions of section 47(1) of the Customs and Excise Act 1996).

OUTPUT CLASS - TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES

Under this output class the New Zealand Customs Service provides services relating to the supply of binding rulings to external clients on tariff and excise classification, the application of tariff concessions, eligibility under the rules of origin and the interpretation of rules of origin. Customs also provides to external clients export classifications and general customs information.  

This output class makes a significant contribution to the Trade and Tourism Support outcome.  

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
541	Crown	262	264	515
1,518	Other	1,473	1,489	1,520
2,059	Total Revenue	1,735	1,753	2,035
2,074	Expenses	1,741	1,753	2,035
(15)	Surplus/(Deficit)	(6)	-	-

Performance measures

Actual  06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
New  measure	General inquiries responded to by the Customs National Call Centre	122,345	109,500- 134,800	-
213	Binding rulings given	261	220 - 250	4.4%
	Quality			-
New measure	Availability on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis of the Customs 0800 telephone number and Customs website	99.93%	Min 99%	-
No rulings taken to appeal	Rulings taken to appeal sustained	No rulings taken to appeal	Min 60%	-
99.1%	Classification and concession rulings and export classification opinions will be issued within 20 working days of lodgement of all necessary information	98.4%	Min 90%	-

Output Class - National Maritime Coordination Centre  

 Under this Output Class, the New Zealand Customs Service provides whole-of-government coordination services to maximise the efficient and effective use of Government’s maritime patrol and surveillance assets, and related information, for civilian purposes. These services relate to New Zealand’s sovereignty, safety, economic, environment and foreign policy interests in the maritime environment.  

The services are provided by the National Maritime Coordination Centre (NMCC), an operational unit within Customs working on behalf of a range of government agencies.  

Cost (figures are excluding GST)

30/6/07 Actual $000		30/6/08 Actual $000	30/6/08 Supp Estimates $000	30/6/08 Main Estimates $000
	Revenue
459	Crown	458	450	430
3	Other	3	2	-
462	Total Revenue	461	452	430
365	Expenses	364	452	430
97	Surplus/(Deficit)	97	-	-

Performance measures

Actual 06/07	Measure	Actual 07/08	Standard	Variance
	Quantity
Amended measure	Asset time available for civilian tasking allocated	57%	Min 80%	-28.8%
N/A	All agencies that have signed an information sharing agreement with the NMCC receive the agreed information	Yes	Yes	-
	Quanlity
New measure	Requesting agencies and asset providers satisfied in relation to responsiveness, transparency, and prioritisation	*	Min 90%	*
New measure	Requesting and providing agencies satisfied in relation to information treatment, information relevance and timeliness	*	Min 90%	*

Explanation of significant variances

Asset time available for civilian tasking allocated
This measure is comprised of two elements, each recorded in a different way – allocation of available air patrol hours and of available surface patrol days. In 2007/08, 98.4% of air patrol hours were allocated but only 15.6% of available sea patrol days were allocated. The variance in allocation of sea patrol days is a measure of civilian agency utilisation of available resources. NMCC advises agencies of the patrol days available for civilian tasking and the agencies advise NMCC of how many of those days they require. Accordingly, if the agencies do not request the days, they are not allocated. Additional New Zealand Police vessels were not included in the available resources when the forecast for this measure was made and have only recently been fully integrated into the available capability. As a consequence, the available level of capacity was higher than agencies had anticipated and was not able to be used by those agencies for civilian tasking within the available time. In addition, some of the additional New Zealand Police vessels were small vessels not suited to the majority of agency tasks.
If the additional resources are excluded from the measure, approximately 70.2% of available patrol days were allocated for civilian tasking. The shortfall can be attributed mainly to agencies not having taskings suitable to available platforms at the time the resources were available.

Comments  

* Requesting and providing agencies and asset providers being satisfiedThe stakeholder survey was undertaken between November 2007 and January 2008. The response to the survey was too small to provide a statistically valid result in relation to the two measures. The survey results demonstrated strong support for the concept of the NMCC and satisfaction with NMCC’s performance of its primary role, although there was some dissatisfaction principally relating to, or arising from, lack of resources. NMCC has taken or is taking action to address the issues identified.