HC Deb 20 March 1995 vol 257 c102W
Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the employment of polling or public opinion survey organisations by her Department during the current and previous financial years, on the organisations employed by her Department, on the values of the individual contracts for these services, on the total amounts of money spent and on the purposes of the research undertaken by these organisations. [14509]

Mr. Boswell

The Department carries out regular market research to measure public awareness of key policy initiatives, to evaluate the effectiveness of its information campaigns and to inform the planning of future publicity activity.

All departmental research is commissioned via the Central Office of Information, which contracts commercial research companies on behalf of the Department.

The overall cost of completed market research carried out by the Department during the current and previous financial year is some £262,000. To give the cost of individual research surveys would compromise confidential tendering procedures.

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