[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 40981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17505]
[[Page 40981]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative
Feedback on Agency Service Delivery
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, (MARAD), Department of Transportation.
ACTION: 30-Day notice of submission of information collection approval
from the Office of Management and Budget and request for comments.
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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
Maritime Administration is submitting a Generic Information Collection
Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for approval
under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
DATES: Comments must be submitted August 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding these information collections to the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street, NW., Washington, DC, 20503, Attention:
MARAD Desk Officer. Alternatively, comments may be sent via e-mail to
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of
Management and Budget, at the following address:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information,
please contact Ms. Barbara Jackson, Telephone: (202) 366-0615 or Ms.
Bonnie McLendon, Telephone: (202) 366-5485, Maritime Administration,
Office of Management and Administrative Services, Division of
Management, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback
on Agency Service Delivery.
Abstract: 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 Agency 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 to fielding
the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely
to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for
other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative
results.
On December 22, 2010, OMB, on behalf of DOT/MARAD and other listed
Executive Agencies, published a 60-day notice (75 FR 80542) in the
Federal Register soliciting comment on ICRs for which the agency was
seeking OMB approval. No comments were received in response to this
notice.\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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Below we provide the Maritime Administration's projected average
estimates for the next three years:
Current Actions: New collection of information.
Type of Review: New Collection.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and
Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.
Average Expected Annual Number of activities: 6.
Respondents: 26,088.
Annual Responses: 8,696.
Frequency of Response: Once per request.
Average Minutes per Response: 10 minutes.
Burden Hours: 4,348 (1,449 annually).
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.
Comments are invited on: 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; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology. A comment to OMB is best assured of having its
full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.
Authority: 49 CFR 1.66.
By the Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Dated: June 30, 2011.
Christine Gurland,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-17505 Filed 7-11-11; 8:45 am]
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