§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb), of 21 April 1998,Official Report, columns 607–08, on focus group research, if she will list for each research project (a) the expected completion date and (b) the means by which the findings from the completed research projects will be made public. [40836]
§ Mr. FieldThe expected completion dates of those projects which were commissioned as part of the Department's Research Programme, and which relate to the development and evaluation of policy, are as follows:
1998: April-June
Alan Hedges—Pensions and Retirement Planning.Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University—Invalidity Benefit and the contributory principle.Market Opinion Research International—Attitudes towards disability benefits.Market Opinion Research International—Attitudes towards welfare reform.1998: July-September
Social and Community Planning Research—Work Incentives and Intermediaries.\Social and Community Planning Research—Survey of Women; developmental work.Newchurch and Company—Child Support Agency customer and compliance research.British Market Research Bureau International—Attitudes towards housing benefits.Institute for Employment Studies—People management in DSS Headquarters (summary report).1998: October-December
Social and Community Planning Research—Take Up of Income Support amongst Older Citizens.Social and Community Planning Research—Preparation for Women's Juries.30W
Number and proportion of appointees aged Non-Departmental Public Body Total number of appointees under 25 aged 25–30 aged 31–35 Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions (CACWP)1 20 0 0 0 Child Support, Disability, Medical & Social Security Appeal Tribunals and Vaccine Damage Tribunals 5,929 0 15 (0.3%) 72 (1.2%) Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board (DLAAB)2 20 0 0 0 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC)3 15 0 0 2 (13%) Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority 9 0 0 1 (11%) Pensions Compensation Board 3 0 0 0 Pensions Ombudsman 1 0 0 0 Social Security Advisory Committee 13 0 0 0 War Pensions Committees (WPCs)1 858 0 0 0 Women's National Commission (WNC)4 52 — — — 1The legislation which governs CACWP and the WPCs requires there to be, among others, representatives of ex-service organisations or persons with ex-service experience. Many of the ex-service organisations, from which the appointees are drawn, have problems recruiting younger members which effects the scope of interested individuals from which suitable candidates can be selected. 2 Members of DLAAB are required to be professionally qualified and/or experienced which makes it difficult to appoint people under 36. 3 50 per cent. of posts on IIAC are nominated by organisations representing employees and employers. These organisations are aware of the principles that should govern appointments to public bodies and additionally, have been sent Guidance produced by the Commissioner for Public Appointments on nominating people for public service. The other 50 per cent. need to come from experts in the field of occupational health and related fields. If their advice is to carry the required authority and weight these appointees need to be drawn from the top of their profession. People who have reached a position of eminence in their professional field will tend to be at the higher end of the age scale. 4 The WNC membership is determined by the individual member organisations and therefore no records concerning the appointees are kept by this Department. 1999: January-March
Alan Hedges—Behavioural Response to the evidence requirements.2000: Summer
Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough University—Earnings Top Up Staff Panel.The ongoing contract with Social and Community Planning Research for qualitative research on welfare reform issues allows us to commission small projects as required.
All studies within the Department's Research Programme will be published. Decisions on means of publication are not taken until the project has been completed.
As explained in my written answer to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 29 April 1998, Official Report, columns 170–72, reports for those contracts commissioned to develop and evaluate publicity campaigns or to inform other presentational issues, would be published once the decision-making process is completed and/or the relevant publicity campaign has started. Two projects are nearing completion and will be placed in the Library by the end of July:
One World—New Deal for Lone Parents; development of publicity workCragg Ross Dawson—Creative Development Research for a New Deal for Lone Parents Newsletter.