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Dept for Education and Employment

Answer

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94, (c) 1994-95, (d) 1995-96, (e) 1996-97, (f) 1997-98, (g) 1998-99, (h) 1999-2000 and (i) 2000-01, (I) his Department's total spending on quantitative and qualitative surveys of policy issues by focus groups, opinion polling, task forces or other means and (II) the cost of each individual project. [146588] Mr. Blunkett: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning on 5 June 2000, Official Report, column 142W, and the reply I gave on 27 July 2000, Official Report, column 853W. The Government want to hear what people affected by them have to say about proposed new policies. This is an important aspect of the Modernising Government initiative. Public opinion research is, though, subject to the usual strict rules that spending must represent good value for money for the taxpayer and must not be used for party political purposes. Information on the costs of surveys undertaken by the Department for Education and Employment could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

146588; 362 c417W;362 c416W

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Expenditure Government departments Market research Surveys Department for Education and Employment

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk