HC Deb 20 April 2004 vol 420 cc468-9W
Mr. Laws

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what her estimate is of total expenditure by her Department on(a) focus groups and (b) opinion polls in each year from 1995–96 to 2003–04; and if she will make a statement. [162752]

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 because of the need to ask all Directors in the DTI, plus agencies and associated non-departmental public bodies, to attempt to provide details of each survey and piece of research commissioned since 1995.