§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department spent on(a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement. [139983]
§ Ms HewittThe department does not centrally collect the information sought at the required level of detail and to provide it would entail disproportionate cost.
Statistical surveys to businesses and local authorities conducted by the Department and its agencies are monitored centrally to facilitate control of compliance costs to business and departmental expenditure on survey activity. It is not possible, however, to determine with any degree of accuracy which surveys fall into the categories of market and opinion research, or which contain an element of these. The answer would incur disproportionate cost because of the need to ask all Directorates in DTI to attempt to provide details of each survey and piece of research commissioned.