§ Mr. David Huntasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which of the 23 ad hoc statistical inquiries reported by her Department to the Survey Control Unit of the Central Statistical Office in the three years 1974 to 1976 were so reported in 1976; and what was their nature and purpose.
§ Mr. OakesThe followingad hoc statistical surveys were reported by my Department to the Survey Control Unit of the Central Statistical Office in 1976, including one commissioned from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS):
- Shortages and surpluses of teachers by subjects taught.
240 - Supply of teachers of English as a second language.
- Size of classes as taught in primary schools.
- Secondary schools staffing survey (pilot survey only).
- Expenditure on books and equipment by students on first degree courses.
- Postgraduate students' income and expenditure (OPCS).
- National census of staff in librarianship and information science in the United Kingdom.
They were conducted mainly for administrative and planning purposes.
§ Mr. David Huntasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many surveys or statistical inquiries her Department currently has in hand; what is their nature and purpose; how many civil servants are involved therewith; and what is their estimated cost to public funds.
§ Mr. OakesMy Department has 35 statistical surveys currently in hand—mainly for administrative and planning purposes—the results of most of which will be summarised in "Statistics of Education" (HMSO) as in past years. The total cost to public funds in 1976 of these surveys and of all the supporting statistical services in my Department is estimated at £1,327,000. This sum includes corresponding costs incurred by the University Grants Committee and by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys on behalf of my Department, but excludes the cost of the third sweep—at age 16—of the National Child Development Study (1958 cohort) being carried out by the National Children's Bureau with an approved joint grant of £285,000 from my Department and DHSS spread over the years 1973–77.
The extraction of precise details of staff numbers would entail a disproportionate cost; many of the staff involved are engaged on this work for only part of their time.