News Release Page Title

19 December 2006

STATISTICAL SURVEYS OF BUSINESSES CARRIED OUT BY NORTHERN IRELAND DEPARTMENTS DURING 2005

Government surveys provide information for Government, business and society at large. They are needed, for example, for the successful management of the economy and to facilitate comparisons between Member States and the regions of Europe. They are also of prime importance in determining users' views on the quality of services that are provided by Government.

Some Government surveys are specifically addressed to households or individuals but a number of departments, particularly the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), whose main clients are in the commercial sector, carry out surveys addressed to businesses. It is Government policy that good quality information to inform policy making and public debate should be obtained in such a manner that the burden placed on businesses responding to statistical enquiries is minimised.

This statistics notice provides summary details on Government statistical surveys of businesses in Northern Ireland during 2005.

A total of 72 surveys were carried out, the majority of which were initiated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. The estimated number of forms issued by all departments was 186.9 thousand. The total estimated compliance cost to businesses was £2.0 million.

The summary details for each central government department are:

Department

Number of surveys to businesses

Estimated number of forms issued

(thousands)

Estimated compliance cost to businesses (thousands)

DARD

18

46.5

£318.1

DETI

35

115.8

£1516.7

DOE

6

10.9

£38.2

DE 1

4

1.8

£14.3

DRD

2

1.9

£19.0

DFP

4

2.9

£58.1

DEL

2

7.1

£57.1

DHSSPS

1

0.1

£5.6

All NI Departments

72

186.9

£2027.0

DARD Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
DETI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
DOE Department of the Environment
DE Department of Education
DEL Department for Employment and Learning
DFP Department of Finance and Personnel
DRD Department for Regional Development
DHSSPS Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

1 The School Census, the School Leavers Survey and the School Performance Survey are outside the scope of survey control guidelines.

Measures being taken to reduce compliance costs

In addition to trying to minimise the number of forms issued, other efforts have been made to secure a reduction in the burden placed on businesses. A few of the specific initiatives employed by departments include:

  • Offering respondents to the Quarterly Construction Enquiry the opportunity to complete their form by telephone rather than in hard copy;
  • DETI's continuation of 'survey holidays' for smaller businesses that contribute to the Quarterly Employment Survey. This focuses on businesses whose employment levels do not fluctuate markedly over time.
  • Continued sharing of data between the Quarterly Employment Survey and the Quarterly Sales Inquiry and between the Census of Employment and the Quarterly Employment Survey;
  • Redesign of the Census of Employment form to make data supply easier;
  • Offering some businesses that contribute to the NI Annual Business Inquiry the option of submitting annual accounts data rather than completing inquiry forms;
  • Offering businesses greater flexibility in how they supply data - for example, via fax, on-line or spreadsheet;
  • The continued use of electronic data capture by DARD and the use of tick box answers on the EU Farm Structure Survey;
  • Validation of information in the Pesticide Usage Survey with written farm records for data collection and the use of GIS and a telephone questionnaire for smaller holdings; and
  • Liaison between DEL and DHSSPS regarding the inclusion of questions on attitudes to smoking in the NI Skills Monitoring Survey to obviate the need for a separate survey.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

1. Statistical surveys are conducted by a number of methods including post, telephone and face-to-face manual and computer assisted interviews. The phrase "number of forms issued" should be interpreted as relating to the number of respondents contacted, irrespective of whether physical questionnaire forms were issued.

2. Media enquiries should be directed to the DFP Press Office on telephone 028 9052 7378.

3. General information can be obtained from Eilish Murtagh, NISRA Corporate Services Branch, telephone 028 9034 8115.

    Click here to print this press release.