Vol. 479 No. 2
256 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of polls which have been undertaken by his Department; the persons or bodies which carried out these polls; the cost of each poll; the purpose of each poll; if the poll measured levels of political support; the results of each poll; the terms of reference or criteria used to conduct the poll; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12604/97]
259 Mr. L. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the polls and qualitative research, if any, commissioned or carried out by his Department since December 1994, including details of the companies which conducted them and the cost of each poll or item of research. [13100/97]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 256 and 259 together. My Department has a programme of regular customer surveys, conducted internally by Department of Social Welfare staff, to ensure on an on-going basis that our services remain relevant and responsive to the needs of our customers.
In addition, the Department commissioned Market Research Bureau of Ireland (MRBI) to conduct an independent survey of both our direct customers and also the general public. The purpose of the research was to (i) determine the nature and levels of service provided to Social Welfare recipients; (ii) highlight areas of service where improvements are required, and (iii) measure the knowledge of and attitudes towards the Department of Social Welfare and its services among the general public.
The main fieldwork was conducted in the period February 1996 to June 1996 and the total cost of this survey, including VAT, amounted to £48,006.75.
The findings of the survey are in the main very positive. They show that my Department is achieving high levels of satisfaction, both among its direct customers and the general public, regarding the quality of services it delivers. Customers indicated an overall satisfaction rating of 90 per cent with my Department's services and 85 per cent considered staff to be courteous and polite.
Of the members of the general public who had contacted my Department in recent years, 69 per cent considered the level of service to be good, 81 per cent would be happy to contact my Department directly when seeking information and 75 per cent believed that there was some element of fraud attached to Social Welfare payments. This was the only survey commissioned by my Department since December 1994 and I can confirm that questions in relation to support for political parties were not included in this research.
