HC Deb 03 February 1998 vol 305 cc577-8W
Mr. Swinney

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use is made of (i) computer-aided personal interviewing and (ii) remote telephone or postal interviewing in(a) the Family Expenditure Survey, (b) the Family Resources Survey, (c) the British Household Panel Survey, (d) the New Earnings Survey, (e) the General Household Survey, (f) the Social Attitudes Survey and (g) other government surveys. [26086]

Inactivity by age and whether available to start work within two weeks
Great Britain
All working age1 16–24 Age 25–44 45–54 55–59 60–64 (men)
Total economically inactive (thousands) 7,174 1,452 2,670 1,360 1,059 635,000
of which
Available 741 189 317 116 66 52

Mrs. Liddell

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. John Swinney, dated 3 February 1998: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on types of interviewing used in surveys. All main interviewing on the Family Expenditure Survey, the Family Resources Survey and the General Household Surveys are carried out by computer assisted personal interview (CAPI). Neither telephone nor postal methods are used on any of these surveys except occasionally to follow up queries or to carry out routine probity checks. Telephone interviewing is used for interviewing on waves 2–5 of the Labour Force Survey wherever possible although the initial wave is carried out by CAPI. Most other surveys carried out by ONS are done by CAPI. The main exceptions are the National Food Survey and the International Passenger Survey. From time to time there are also some ad hoc surveys for which the most appropriate design involves telephone or postal interviewing methods. The New Earnings Survey is carried out by postal questionnaire to employers. At present there is no use of CAPI and there are no plans to introduce it in the immediate future. Information regarding the British Household Panel Survey can be obtained from Nick Buck (01206 873 066) at the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change at the University of Essex. The Social Attitudes Survey is conducted independently by Social and Community Planning Research. Information regarding the survey can be obtained from Lindsay Brook (0171 250 1866) at Social and Community Planning Research.