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Dept of Trade and Industry;Patent Office;Small Business Service;Companies House;Insolvency Service;National Weights and Measures Laboratory;Employment Tribunals Service;Radiocommunications Agency

Answer

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non- departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. [106258] Ms Hewitt: The Department does not centrally collect the information sought at the required level of detail, and to provide it would entail disproportionate cost. Where surveys are conducted which may be considered to contain an element relating to opinion polling, focus groups, or other forms of market research; it is not generally possible to identify separately the costs of that element. Letter from Graham Jenkins to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: I am replying to your Parliamentary Question 1955 tabled on 28 March 2003, about the expenditure incurred by the (a) the Secretary of State's department, (b) agencies and (c) non- departmental public bodies on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research and to list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each survey. In 2002, as an Agency, the Patent Office did not incur any expenditure on opinion polling, focus groups or other forms of market research. The Intellectual Property Advisory Committee (IPAC) which is a NDPB for which the Patent Office provides funds and secretarial support incurred expenditure of £3300 on market research. Surveys commissioned in 2002 were a telephone survey of customers using the Patent Office Central Enquiry Unit to determine grass-roots intelligence on customer needs, and a survey on enforcement run by the Intellectual Property Advisory Committee. Letter from Martin Wyn Griffith to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: Your Parliamentary Question to Mrs Hewitt asked what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. I am replying on behalf of the Small Business Service (SBS). Relevant expenditure by the SBS is set out in the Table attached. I should explain that the Table covers work commissioned by the SBS itself. Business Link Operators, who provide local advice to small businesses under contract to the SBS and other organisations, also carry out surveys of their small business customers to identify their customers' needs and to assess customer satisfaction. The attached Table does not cover work commissioned by Business Link Operators. Opinion Polling, Focus Groups and other Market Research undertaken by SBS during 2002 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Type of work Purpose Cost £000 Opinion Polls No opinion polls undertaken Focus Groups: Productivity How SMEs1 define and measure productivity 15 Regulation The impact of regulations (including 53 minimum wage) on SMEs Views of small businesses on the To find out the views of small businesses 10 recommendations in the Patrick Carter on the recommendations in the Patrick Payroll Review report Carter Payroll Review report Development of "No Nonsense Guide" To check that "No-Nonsense Guide" for 52 people who set up in business meets their needs Creative Development SME reaction to proposed advertising 38 Website Development To test concepts and content of 190 businesslink.org and business.gov website developments Other market research: SBS Omnibus Survey To gauge the needs of SMEs, their concerns 120 and barriers to achieving their potential Follow-up to SBS Household Survey of To re-contact respondents to the 2001 SBS 40 Entrepreneurship Household Survey and find out how many of those planning to go into business had actually done so and their experiences over the year National Client Survey 2002-03 To measure the client experience across 53 the Business Link Operator network, Business Link website2 and national services; to provide information on the factors which influence client satisfaction and dissatisfaction Tracking Survey To check improved awareness of Business 41 Link brand following advertising campaign Advice dividend PR research work To identify the value to SMEs of business 29 advice Total 641 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2 www.businesslink.org Letter from Claire Clancy to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: I am responding to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on expenditure incurred on behalf of Companies House, an Executive Agency of the DTI. Companies House has commissioned one piece of market research in 2002 as part of our microfiche migration project. The research was conducted into our existing microfiche customers to establish the purchasing habits of those customers and to enable us to migrate them onto electronic delivery. The research was conducted by DVL Smith which is part of the Incepta Group at a cost of £40,825. There has been no expenditure on opinion polling or focus groups. Letter from Desmond Flynn to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to your question requesting information on expenditure incurred in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and to list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. The Insolvency Service maintains a National Consultative User Group and an Insolvency Practitioner User Group. Members of those groups give their time and travel costs at no expense to The Service. During 2002 we spent a total of £186 on light refreshments at user group meetings. No market research or survey's have been commissioned. Letter from Iain MacGregor to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: The Secretary for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) to your question on what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) Agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research. The National Weights and Measures Laboratory has not incurred any expenditure in the year 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research. Letter from Roger Heathcote to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: You tabled a question on 28 March 2003 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, asking what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non- departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion poll, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Employment Tribunals Service which is an Executive Agency of the DTI. The Employment Tribunals Service has incurred no expenditure on opinion polls, focus groups or other forms of market research in 2002. Letter from Rolande Anderson to Mr. John Bercow, dated 8 April 2003: The Secretary of State has asked me to provide the following information in respect of the Radiocommunications Agency in response to your Parliamentary Question 2002/1955 asking her what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. The Radiocommunications Agency commissioned the following studies in 2002. They all fall under the category of `other forms of market research': _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Name of Survey Purpose Cost/£000 Survey of current radio-related research in Purpose: to identify organisations that 39 UK and Europe have radio expertise in industry, academia and consultants Demand study on Digital TV To help estimate the demand of radio 77 spectrum caused by digital TV Demand study on Cellular Mobile To help estimate the demand of radio 53 spectrum by cellular mobile devices Private Mobile Radio Survey To help estimate the demand of radio 60 spectrum by private business radio users _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

106258; 403 c167-70W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Executive agencies Department of Trade and Industry Expenditure Government departments Non-departmental public bodies Market research Surveys Opinion polls

Link

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