§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what purposes his Department has commissioned a family resources survey; by whom the questions were devised; by whom the data gathered will be analysed; and how and when it will be published.
§ Mr. BurtThe new family resources survey (FRS) has been commissioned to provide better information about the characteristics and finances of households. The improved data will enable better monitoring of the social security170W programme and expenditure forecasting. In particular, it will be better geared to provide information on low-income households as the basis for households below average income statistics than the family expenditure survey which is currently used.
The questionnaire content was agreed in consultation with DSS analysts and other interested Departments and finalised with the survey's field contractors after pilot studies.
The field contractors began collecting data for the new FRS last October. After the removal of information identifying individual respondents by the contractors, the data are passed to the analytical services division of DSS.
It is envisaged that a summary statistical bulletin with provisional data will be published, as a publication of the Government Statistical Service, in the second half of 1994.