[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17578-17579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06909]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and 
Management; Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Department of Labor Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative 
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is soliciting comments 
concerning a proposed extension for the authority to conduct the 
information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Department of Labor 
Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency 
Service Delivery.'' This comment request is part of continuing 
Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq. This collection has been developed as part of a Federal 
Government-wide effort to streamline the process for seeking feedback 
from the public on service delivery.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
May 27, 2014.

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 free of charge 
by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-
8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at [email protected].
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance 
Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20210; or by email: [email protected].

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

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOL, as part of continuing efforts to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to the OMB for final approval. This 
program helps to ensure requested data can be provided in the desired 
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements can be properly assessed.
    This information collection activity provides a means to 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 the DOL means information 
that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but does not 
entail 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.
    The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: timeliness, 
appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of 
service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. 
Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or 
maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this 
information were not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on DOL services would be unavailable.

[[Page 17579]]

    The DOL will only submit a collection for approval under this 
generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:
     The collection is voluntary;
     The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on 
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or 
burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for both the respondents 
and the Federal Government;
     The collection is non-controversial and does not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
     The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions 
from respondents who have experience with the program or may have 
experience with the program in the near future;
     Personally identifiable information is collected only to 
the extent necessary and is not retained;
     Information gathered will be used only internally for 
general service improvement and program management purposes and is not 
intended for release outside of the agency;
     Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; and
     Information gathered will yield qualitative information; 
the collection will not be designed or be expected to yield 
statistically reliable results or be used as though the results are 
generalizable to the population of study.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful 
information, but it does 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 would require more rigorous designs that address: The target 
population to which generalizations would be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that would 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 would be undertaken prior to fielding 
the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely 
to have, such collections could still be eligible for submission for 
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative 
results.
    As a general matter, information collections will not result in any 
new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask 
questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, 
religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered 
private.
    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 that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection 
under Control Number 1225-0088.
    OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) 
years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is 
scheduled to expire on May 31, 2014. The DOL seeks to extend PRA 
authorization for this information collection for three (3) more years, 
without any change to existing requirements.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. Comments must be written to 
receive consideration, and they will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval of the final ICR. In order to help ensure 
appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 
1225-0088.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the Internet, without redaction. The DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential business data, or other sensitive statements/information 
in any comments.
    The DOL 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.
    Agency: DOL-OASAM.
    Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Title of Collection: Department of Labor Generic Clearance for the 
Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
    OMB Control Number: 1225-0088.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households; State Local, and Tribal 
Governments; and Private Sector--businesses or other for-profits and 
not for profit institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 330,000.
    Frequency: Once.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 330,000.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: Various, averaging 4 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 22,000 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

    Dated: March 21, 2014.
Michel Smyth,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-06909 Filed 3-27-14; 8:45 am]
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