HC Deb 25 October 1994 vol 248 cc526-7W
Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list each public opinion survey commissioned by(a) her Department and (b) her agencies since 1 October 1992, showing for each, the subject, objectives, total cost, the period in which it was conducted and the organisation from which it was commissioned.

Mr. Forth

The DFE has carried out the following public opinion surveys since October 1992.Subject: School performance tables Objective: To establish levels of parental awareness and understanding of the school performance tables publications Date: December 1992 and January 1994 Company: Taylor Nelson Subject: Grant-maintained schools Objective: To measure changes in public awareness and understanding of grant-maintained schools Date: May 1993, October 1993, February 1994 Company: Audience Selection Subject: National curriculum testing of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds Objective: To assess parental awareness and effectiveness of the publicity campaign on school testing arrangements in 1993 Date: April 1993 Company: British Market Research Bureau Subject: National curriculum testing of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds Objective: To assess parental awareness of testing arrangement; under the National Curriculum in light of a review announced by Secretary of State for Education in May 1993 Date: May 1993 Company: Bulmershe Research Subject: Publicity campaign for parents on national curriculum testing of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds Objectives: To assess parental awareness and effectiveness of the publicity campaign on school testing arrangements in 1994 Dates: January 1994, July 1994 Company: British Market Research Bureau Subject: DFE exhibition - DFE touring roadshow Objective: To establish the communication effectiveness of the 1992, 1993 and 1994 DFE roadshows Date: October 1992, July 1993, July 1994 Company: 1992, 1993 Martin Hamblin; 1994 Alpha Research Subject: Further and higher education charters Objective: To assess awareness and effectiveness of the publicity campaign for the FE and HE charters Date: September 1993, November 1993 Company: Martin Hamblin Subject: Educational provision for under-fives Objective: To establish the take-up of education provision for under-fives and the parents' attitudes to different types of provision Date: April 1994 Company: Bulmershe Research Subject: Updated parents charter Objective: To establish he effectiveness of the 1994 parents charter campaign Date: June 1994, August 1994 Company: Research Society of Great Britain

Only one of the agencies of the DFE, SCAA, has carried out public opinion research since October 1992, as follows: Subject: Public perception of the national curriculum and the relative priorities of national curriculum subjects Objective: To establish the opinion of the general public on the national curriculum and the relative priority of subjects within it Date: June 1994 Company: Gallup

To give the cost of the research surveys carried out by the DFE and its agencies would compromise confidential tendering procedures.