Previous Section Index Home Page

7 Jul 2004 : Column 708W—continued

Market Research

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what market and opinion research was carried out by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies since June 2001 broken down by (a) focus group research, (b) quantitative surveys and (c) other market research surveys; and when and where the results of each were published; [180838]

(2) how much his Department spent on opinion research in each financial year from 2001–02. [180839]

Mr. McNulty: A list of market and opinion research undertaken by the Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies is provided in a table, which has been placed in the Libraries of the House. These projects cover the period since the Department was formed in May 2002.

In 2002–03 the Department spent around £433,000 and in 2003–04 around £457,000 on regular quantitative surveys of opinions. In addition, the Department also undertakes research of a more ad hoc nature, including qualitative and quantitative research, and the table provides information on the costs of those projects.

Means-tested Benefits

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the means-tested benefits available through the Department and the agencies for which it is responsible (a) in May 1997 and (b) now. [182571]


 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 709W
 

Mr. McNulty: There are no such benefits available through the Department for Transport.

Railways

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to change the regulatory role of the Health and Safety Executive in respect of the railway industry; and if he will make a statement. [182325]

Mr. McNulty: The rail review is continuing to look at the regulation of safety. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport said in his statement to the House on 19 January, the Government will publish their proposals in the summer.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to re-establish the linking of the Swanage railway line to the national network; and if he will make a statement. [182343]

Mr. McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) approved a scheme for Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) Funding in 2001, subject to finalisation of a project plan and safety case. The sponsors subsequently failed to satisfy Her Majesty's Rail Inspectorate (HMRI) on the safety case.

Although the RPP fund was suspended last year the sponsors have continued to work on a revised scheme, in the event that there will be a mechanism, through which it can be progressed at a later stage.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what record is kept of the total length in minutes of service delays on Britain's railways; and what plans his Department has to change the method of recording and reporting delays and cancellations. [180864]

Mr. McNulty: When a train is late, the rail industry record the number of minutes it is late at various monitoring points along its journey and at the final destination. These delay minutes do not equate to the minutes of delay from a passengers point of view, as delay minutes can be accumulated along the journey but the train may make up time and still arrive at its final destination on time. For this reason performance is measured and published using the Public Performance Measure (PPM). PPM records whether a train arrives at its final destination within 5 minutes of its timetabled arrival time (10 minutes for long distance operators), cancellations are also counted as late and recorded. There are no plans to change this method of recording and reporting performance.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Sewel Motions

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Advocate-General if she will list the date and subject matter of each Sewel motion passed by the Scottish Parliament since it was established, stating the Bill or Act, if any, of this Parliament to which the motion referred. [181802]

Mrs. McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 710W
 

The date on which each Sewel motion was approved by the Scottish Parliament and the Bill or Act of this Parliament to which each refers are listed in the following table:
Table of Sewel motions approved by the Scottish Parliament since it was established

BillDate approved
Food Standards(5)23 June 1999
Financial Services and Markets(5)23 June 1999
Electronic Communications(5)23 June 1999
Limited Liability Partnerships(5)23 June 1999
Sea Fishing Grants (Charges)8 December 1999
Representation of the People13 January 2000
Sexual Offences (Amdt)19 January 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums (1)9 March 2000
Regulation of Investigatory Powers6 April 2000
Learning and Skills18 May 2000
Race Relations (Amdt)25 May 2000
Insolvency1 June 2000
Care Standards22 June 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums (2)6 July 2000
Government Resources and Accounts6 July 2000
Criminal Justice and Courts Service5 October 2000
Health and Social Care Modernisation17 January 2001
Tobacco Advertising and Promotion17 January 2001
International Criminal Court18 January 2001
Outworking31 January 2001
Criminal Justice and Police7 February 2001
International Development8 March 2001
Culture and Recreation8 March 2001
Armed Forces29 March 2001
Adoption and Children (1)4 April 2001
Adoption and Children (2)24 October 2001
Proceeds of Crime24 October 2001
Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security15 November 2001
NHS Reform and Health Care Profession22 November 2001
Adoption and Children (3)30 January 2002
Police Reform30 January 2002
Enterprise17 April 2002
Private Hire Vehicles (Carriage of Guide Dogs etc.) (PMB)19 June 2002
Police Reform (2)27 June 2002
Extradition21 November 2002
Waste and Emissions Trading28 November 2002
Criminal Justice (1)5 December 2002
Crime (International Co-operation)5 December 2002
Local Government6 February 2003
Sexual Offences20 March 2003
Railways and Transport Safety20 March 2003
Health and Social Care (Community Health & Standards)19 June 2003
Fireworks26 June 2003
Legal Deposit Libraries11 September 2003
Criminal Justice (2)9 October 2003
Planning and Compulsory Purchase20 November 2003
Health Protection Agency29 January 2004
Energy4 February 2004
Gender Recognition5 February 2004
Higher Education12 February 2004
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment for Claimants)12 February 2004
Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise)4 March 2004
Civil Contingencies4 March 2004
Justice (Northern Ireland)18 March 2004
Civil Partnership3 June 2004


(5) Approval of Westminster legislation by the Scottish Parliament before it assumed its full powers on 1 July.


CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Cosmetic Surgery

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has held with Ofcom about standards of advertising for cosmetic surgery products; and if she will make a statement. [182362]


 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 711W
 

Estelle Morris: Ofcom has a responsibility only in relation to broadcast advertising. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has held no discussions with Ofcom regarding broadcast advertising of cosmetic surgery products. It is for Ofcom to ensure that there is an appropriate standards code for the regulation of broadcast advertising and that it is targeted and proportionate.

Departmental Surveys

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what surveys of public
 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 712W
 
perceptions of her Department and of its areas of responsibility have taken place over the last 12 months; what the (a) title and (b) nature of these surveys was; what the findings of each survey were; where these findings have been published; what the cost of such surveys was; and if she will make a statement and place copies of the surveys in the Library. [176946]

Mr. Caborn: Details of public opinion research on attitudes to the Department or the policies or services for which the Department is responsible for the last financial year are shown in the table. I am arranging for copies of all the surveys to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses, except those marked *.
TitleYearPurposeFindingsPublishedCost inc. of VAT unless otherwise stated (£)
Making Heritage CountOctober 2003The study was a nationwide survey of public attitudes towards heritage, which included more detailed research into the attitudes of different social groups in three diverse parts of the country—London, Bradford and Cornwall. The study included quantitative survey methods and qualitative focus group techniques72 per cent. agreed that more should be done to recognise the contribution of different communities to our heritage 74 per cent. agreed that restoring older buildings could play a part in reviving neighbourhoods 29 per cent. of people from ethnic minorities said they had visited a historic building or garden in the last 12 months compared to the national average of 40 per cent.people from ethnic minorities were more likely than others to say that 'more information' would encourage them to visit heritage sites more often The focus groups provided a wide range of opinions and views on the value of heritage, and participants were invited to take photographs of the places in their local area that they counted as part of their 'heritage'Yes, Heritage Counts 2003 www.heritage
counts.org.uk. Copies have also been placed in the House Library
62,627.50
Annual Survey of "Visitors to EH properties" *October 2003To monitor visitor profiles and visitor satisfactionFindings—internal for commercial useNot in the public domain25–30,000
Annual EH "Members' Survey" *September 2003To monitor member satisfaction levels, motivations for joining and profiling membersFindings—internal for commercial useNot in the public domain10–15,000
Qualitative Research to Inform the Preparation of the BBC Review 20042004Qualitative Research as part of initial consultation on the BBC Charter reviewOur findings will be reflected in a DCMS paper to be published in the summer. The individual report will also be published in full on the dedicated Charter Review websiteNo, be published in summer 2004, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon practicable(6)88, 360
A report on Deliberative Activity to support the DCMS Review of the BBC's Royal Charter2004Deliberative Research as part of initial consultation on the BBC Charter reviewOur findings will be reflected in a DCMS paper to be published in the summer. The individual report will also be published in full on the dedicated Charter Review websiteNo, to be published in summer 2004, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon practicable(6)83,010
'Your BBC, Your Say' Consultations with children and young people about the BBC2004Four seminars for children and young people, in London and Omagh, to inform our consultationOur findings will be reflected in a DCMS paper to be published in the summer. The individual report will also be published in full on the dedicated Charter Review websiteNo, be published in summer 2004, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon practicable(6)19,195
Annual Survey of Visitors to the Royal Parks 20032003–04The survey covers a variety of topics but aims mainly to assess visitor satisfaction with the cleanliness and overall quality of the parksIn relation to the Quality and Cleanliness key targets, for which the target was to score a minimum of 85 per cent. in each park, the survey results were as follows: Quality scores ranged from 92 per cent. in Greenwich Park to 81 per cent. in Green Park. Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Bushy Park just failed to meet the target, each scoring 84 per cent. Regent's, Richmond and St. James's Parks scored between 85 per cent. and 90 per cent.
Cleanliness scores ranged from 84 per cent. in Regent's Park to 97 per cent. in Greenwich Park. Regent's was the only park to miss the target, its score clearly affected by the on-going sports development works. Most parks scored around 88 per cent.
Yes, February 2004, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon practicable. A copy can also be found at www.royalparks
.gov.uk
(6)33,480
Best Value User Satisfaction Surveys 2003–042003–04All English local authorities are statutorily required to undertake Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) surveys on a three-yearly basis to collect data for satisfaction performance indicators. The methodology and timetable are prescribed by ODPM. Cultural information is collected from two of the five BVPI surveys:
(a) The General Household Survey;
(b) The Public Library User Survey (PLUS)
ODPM will be publishing the topline results (aggregated to national and regional levels) of the General Household Survey on 30 June 2004.
Audited results from all five surveys will be published in autumn 2004. The PLUS survey collects data on a broader basis than just BVPIs. Information drawn from these results appear in the CIPFA Public Library Statistics (Actuals), which are published annually in the summer
Yes, the topline results of the General Household survey will be published on the ODPM website (www.odpm.
gov.uk) on 30 June 2004
The General Household Survey covers a wide range of issues. It is not possible to disaggregate the cost of the cultural section of the survey.
The PLUS survey is commissioned and paid for by individual local authorities. The cost can therefore vary significantly due to the size of the authority and the type of survey they commission
Gambling 2004January 2004To explore participation in, and attitudes towards, gamblingThe survey showed that since 1999 participation in most forms of gambling had fallen, that most people were "neither favourably nor unfavourably" disposed towards most forms of gambling and that a majority considered present regulation of most forms of gambling to be "about right"Yes, in early April 2004, the full tables (114 pages) of results were posted on the DCMS website along with a technical paper, a copy will be placed in the Library of the Hose as soon as practicable(6)10,875
Sports Coaching in the UK2003–04The main aim behind this study was to help those involved in developing sports coaching in the UK better understand the current state of the professionThe provision of detailed information on the number of coaches and the opinions of those involved in coaching will help inform decision makers over the forthcoming years and set a benchmark against which change can be measuredNo, to be published in autumn 2004, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House as soon practicable213,000


(6) Excluding VAT



 
7 Jul 2004 : Column 713W
 


Next Section Index Home Page