[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22920-22921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9915]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; DOL Generic Clearance for the Collection of 
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the 
process to seek feedback from the public on service delivery, the 
Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting a Generic Information 
Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``DOL Generic Clearance for the 
Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq.).

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 25, 2011.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting 
documentation; including a description of the likely respondents, 
proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden may be 
obtained from the RegInfo.gov Web site, http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, on the day following publication of this notice or by 
contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129 (this is not a 
toll-free number) or sending an e-mail to [email protected].
    Submit comments about this request to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the Department of 
Labor--Departmental Management, Office of Management and Budget, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503, Telephone: 202-395-6929/Fax: 202-395-6881 
(these are not toll-free numbers), e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at 
202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collection activity will 
garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 
timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to 
improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information 
that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not 
statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be 
generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide 
insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and 
expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus 
attention on areas where communication, training or changes in 
operations might improve delivery of products or services. These 
collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative, and actionable 
communications between the DOL and its customers and stakeholders. It 
will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of 
program management.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful 
information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the 
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative 
information will not be used for quantitative information collections 
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as 
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such 
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target 
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed 
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing 
potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior fielding the 
study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely

[[Page 22921]]

to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for 
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative 
results.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays 
a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if the 
collection of information does not display a valid OMB control number. 
See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. The DOL received no comments were 
received in response to the 60-day notice published in the Federal 
Register of December 22, 2010 (75 FR 80542).
    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in 
the ADDRESSES section within 30 days of publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate 
consideration, comments should reference OMB ICR Reference Number 
201104-1225-001. The OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Below we provide the DOL projected average estimates for the next 
three years: \1\
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    \1\ The 60-day notice included the following estimate of the 
aggregate burden hours for this generic clearance Federal-wide:
    Average Expected Annual Number of activities: 25,000.
    Average number of Respondents per Activity: 200.
    Annual responses: 5,000,000.
    Frequency of Response: Once per request.
    Average minutes per response: 30.
    Burden hours: 2,500,000.
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    Title: DOL Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on 
Agency Service Delivery.
    Current Actions: New collection of information.
    Type of Review: New Collection.
    ICR Reference Number: 201104-1225-001.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households; Private Sector--
Businesses or other for-profits and not-for-profit institutions; Public 
Sector--State, Local or Tribal Governments.
    Average Expected Annual Number of activities: 20.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 300,000.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 300,000.
    Average minutes per response: 6 minutes.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 30,000.
    Total Estimated Annual Costs Burden: $0.
    Frequency of Response: Once per request.

    Dated: April 18, 2011.
Michel Smyth,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-9915 Filed 4-22-11; 8:45 am]
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