[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38927-38928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17267]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Agency Information Collection Activities: Generic Clearance for
the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery
AGENCY: National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS.
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments; Extension, 1670-0027.
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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 Homeland Security (DHS), National Protection and Programs
Directorate (NPPD), Office of the Chief Information Office (OCIO) has
submitted a Generic Information Collection Request (ICR): ``Generic
Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service
Delivery'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995.
DHS previously published this information collection request (ICR) in
the Federal Register on Friday, May 5, 2017, for a 60-day public
comment period. No comments were received by DHS. The purpose of this
notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until September 15,
2017. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on
the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be
addressed to OMB Desk Officer, Department of Homeland Security and sent
via electronic mail to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 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. NPPD is planning to submit
this collection to OMB for approval. 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 NPPD 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 is not collected, vital feedback from customers and
stakeholders on the Directorate's services will be unavailable.
NPPD will only submit a collection for approval under this generic
clearance if it meets the following conditions: (1) The collections are
voluntary; (2) The collections are low-
[[Page 38928]]
burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours,
total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are
low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government; (3) The
collections are noncontroversial and do not raise issues of concern to
other Federal agencies; (4) Any 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; (5)
Personally identifiable information is collected only to the extent
necessary and is not retained; (6) Information gathered is intended to
be used only internally for general service improvement and program
management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the NPPD
(if released, NPPD must indicate the qualitative nature of the
information); (7) Information gathered will not be used for the purpose
of substantially informing influential policy decisions; and (8)
Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the
collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically
reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the
population of study.
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 nonresponse 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 to
have, such collections may 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 personal 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 is an extension of an existing information collection. The
Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments
which:
1. 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;
2. 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;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. 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
submissions of responses.
Analysis
Agency: National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS.
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities: Generic Clearance
for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.
OMB Number: 1670-0027.
Frequency: On occasion.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and
Organizations, State, local or tribal governments.
Number of Respondents: 49,080.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 14 minutes.
Total Burden Hours: 11,130 hours.
Dated: August 9, 2017.
David Epperson,
Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-17267 Filed 8-15-17; 8:45 am]
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