Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, 40981 [2011-17505]

Agencies

• Maritime Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 40981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing 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: 
oira.submissions@omb.eop.gov.

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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