§ Mr. Graham AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what use she and her Department has made of focus group research since June 2001; if he will identify for each research project the topics covered, the person or organisation carrying out the research, and the total cost; and if she will publish the research on her Department's website. [74997]
§ Clare ShortDFID has not made any direct use of focus group research since 2001. However within our work to raise awareness and understanding of development issues, we have funded a project with the BBC, which involved use of focus groups in the UK to analyse public understanding of international news stories. The results of this research havebeen published and widely disseminated. The work was carried out by Opinion Leader Research at a cost of £38,247.
Also we do make frequent use of participatory poverty assessments (PPAs) in developing countries, a methodology which has challenged both traditional modes of poverty analysis and subsequent policy development. When implemented well PPAs allow policy makers a better understanding of how and why poverty occurs in particular contexts and the coping mechanisms adopted by the poor. Furthermore, PPAs provide a forum for the poor to voice their own demands for change in public service provision by reflecting on their own experiences in dealing with government services, their perspectives on the specific constraints they experience in trying to access services, and of the quality and relevance of those services.