Survey Compliance and Quality Improvement Plan: 2006/07

Statistical surveys undertaken by DfT

Introduction

Information from statistical surveys is vital for Government, businesses and the wider community. Relevant and timely information is essential to assess the country's economic and social condition, to formulate, monitor and evaluate policy, to measure performance or to facilitate decisions. However, the collection of data places a burden on providers and it is therefore important that these are kept to a minimum.

The Prime Minister's Instructions on the Control of Statistical Surveys set out how government departments, under the guidance of the Office for National Statistics, should promote necessary surveys of the highest quality, prevent poorly designed or unnecessary surveys and ensure that burdens on data provides, particularly businesses and Local Authorities, are kept to a minimum.

The control of statistical surveys is also important in the context of the work currently being undertaken by the Better Regulation Executive (BRE) in the Cabinet Office. BRE are working with Government departments and regulators to measure the administrative burdens regulation imposes on the private, public and voluntary sector with a view to minimising these burdens through a process of deregulation and simplification.

This report provides summary information about statistical surveys to businesses and local authorities carried out by or on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT), its Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies. In particular it gives estimates of the costs for businesses and local authorities to comply with the Department’s requests for data (compliance costs) during the last three years and anticipated future compliance costs. It also discusses plans for continuing to minimise the compliance load.

Compliance Costs: 2004/05 to 2006/07

Table 1 below gives the number of surveys conducted in each of the years and 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2006/07. Table 2 gives associated compliance costs (at constant 2006/07 prices).

Information is presented separately for regular statistical surveys, which provide the core data needs for the Department or meet statutory obligations to the European Union, and ‘ad hoc’ surveys, which are designed to meet a particular policy need. The majority of the Department's compliance costs are associated with regular surveys.

A complete list of regular surveys undertaken by the Department is given in Annex A. This includes for each survey, the estimated ‘compliance cost’ in 2006/07, together with a brief description of the purpose of the survey.

In 2006/07, compliance costs to businesses and local authorities from DfT surveys amounted to £6.3 million, a reduction relative to the previous two years (Table 2).

The reduction in costs is partly due to a reduction in the number of surveys undertaken by the Department. It is also due to a re-assessment of compliance costs for two regular surveys business surveys in 2006/07 (Port Traffic Maritime Statistics and Sea Passenger Survey).

Surveys of local authorities account for the majority of compliance costs. Of these the largest single component is the Road Accident Statistics collection, involving local police authorities. Compliance costs for road accident statistics are derived from the number of accidents recorded by the police. Changes in the number of road accidents can have a marked impact on the overall compliance costs.

Table 1: Number of Surveys to businesses and local authorities
	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07
Regular surveys
Business	20	17	15
Local authority	4	5	4
Total	24	22	19
Ad Hoc surveys
Business	4	5	1
Local authority	2	1	0
Total	6	6	1
Total Surveys	30	28	20

Table 2: Compliance Costs for businesses and local authorities
	£ thousands, 2006/07 prices
	2004/05		2005/06	2006/07
Regular surveys
Business	1,785		1,785	1,004
Local authority	5,910		5,375	5,254
Total	7,696		7,160	6,258
Ad Hoc surveys
Business	37		14	1
Local authority	1		0	0
Total	38		15	1
Total Compliance Costs	7,734		7,175	6,259

Compliance Plan: Anticipated costs for 2007/08 to 2009/10

Table 3 gives anticipated compliance costs for regular surveys over the next three years 2007/08 to 2009/10. It is anticipated that there will be an eight per cent fall in compliance costs compared with 2006/07. This fall is mainly attributable to a reduction in the number of sites surveyed for the National Road Maintenance Condition Survey.

Table 3: Compliance Plan 2006/07-2009/10
Estimated compliance costs for businesses and local authorities
£ thousands 2006/07 prices
	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09	2009/10
Regular surveys	1,004	821	818	818
Ad hoc surveys	5,254	4,916	4,921	4,910
Total	6,258	5,737	5,739	5,728

Reviews of Regular Surveys

Regular surveys are subject to a system of reviews to confirm they are still required, to ensure that they are modified to take account of changing needs for data and that they are conducted in most cost-effective manner.

All regular surveys are subject to review. The system of quinquennial reviews under Survey Control Procedures has been in place since 1969. These have focused on establishing the continuing need for surveys and consideration of options for changes to simplify or reduce the survey burden and compliance costs.  More recently, under the National Statistics quality strategy, all regular statistical outputs must be subject to more broadly based Quality Review every five years. As far as possible National Statistics quality reviews and reviews under survey control procedures are integrated.

The programme of Quality Reviews for DfT outputs is well advanced. Reviews have been completed on National Travel Survey[1]; Bus, Coach and Light Rail Statistics; Road freight Statistics; Road accident statistics; UK Waterborne Freight and Road Traffic and Road Lengths. A review of Maritime statistics is underway.

Further information

Department for Transport - NS Quality Review programme

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/standardsreview

National Statistics Small Business Forum Website

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/surveys/smallbusinesses/SBF.asp

[1] This is a household interview survey, thus does not involve, compliance costs for businesses or local authorities.