§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 December 1999,Official Report, columns 541–42W, what restrictions were placed on contractors carrying out research projects funded by his Department in 1999 in respect of them discussing their findings with journalists (a) before and (b) after publication. [108202]
§ Mr. RookerDissemination of social research findings commissioned as part of the Department's research programme is governed by the standard conditions for research grants. These state
Any publication of research material … is subject to the prior consent of the Secretary of State which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld" (para 12.2).Publication refers not only to reports but also includes any oral presentation (para 1—Interpretation). Once published, the Department actively promotes the dissemination of its research.
The Department's Communications Directorate contracts its research work through the Central Office of Information (COI). The COI contract specifically states that
the Contractor shall not reproduce, publish or supply any such material to any party other than COI without the prior written approval of COT".COI would not give that permission without first consulting us. We would not normally give that permission before the results had been published. After publication, in most cases we would ask researchers if they are contacted by journalists to refer them to the Department's Press Office.