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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 12 June 2000
SCOTLAND
Forms
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the net change in each year since May 1997 in the number of forms issued by his Department which (a) charities and (b) other voluntary organisations are required to complete. [123943]
Dr. Reid: My Department has not issued any forms to charities or voluntary bodies since 1 July 1999, when devolution took effect. Collecting information for the period before 1 July 1999 would incur disproportionate cost.
No-smoking Policy
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on (a) the effectiveness of his Department's no-smoking policy and (b) the proportion of his Department's offices that do not allow smoking. [125168]
Dr. Reid: My Department's policy operates effectively, with two smoking rooms provided in Dover House and at 1 Melville crescent, Edinburgh, and access to smoking rooms in two other buildings shared with the Scottish Executive.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Opinion Research
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place copies of the results of all market and opinion research carried out by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since May 1997, in the Library. [123807]
Ms Beverley Hughes [holding answer 25 May 2000]: In order to help to ensure that proposed policy or public information initiatives are effective and represent best value for public money, my Department commissions various research exercises every year.
Decisions on whether to publish the results of each research project, or place a copy in the House of Commons Library are taken on a case-by-case basis. Some research reports contain commercially confidential information.
However, copies of the results of most quantitative research reports are available on request and my Department will compile a summary list of research projects to be placed in the Library.
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Information on research projects commissioned by Departmental Agencies and NDPB's is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of his Department in the financial year 1999-2000, broken down by (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys; and in each case, when and where the results were published. [124631]
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the opinion research projects undertaken on behalf of his Department in the financial year 1999-2000, broken down by (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys; and, in each case, when and where the results were published. [125460]
Mr. Prescott: In order to help to ensure that proposed new policy or communication initiatives are informed, effective, and represent best value for public money, my Department commissions various research exercises every year. Those falling within financial year 1999-2000, together with their costs, are listed below. These are either quantitative or qualitative (sometimes referred to as focus group research).
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The decision on whether to publish the results is taken on a case-by-case basis. Some research reports contain commercially confidential information. However, copies of most quantitative research reports are available on request, and my Department will compile a list of research projects to be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department spent on opinion research in the financial year 1999-2000. [124632]
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department spent on opinion research in the financial year 1999-2000. [125475]
Mr. Prescott: In order to help to ensure that proposed new policy or communication initiatives are informed, effective, and represent best value for public money, my Department commissions various research exercises every year. Those falling within financial year 1999-2000, together with their costs, are as follows:
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