Sustainable Development

Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 22 July 2008.

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Photo of Jo Swinson Jo Swinson Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs), Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Foreign Affairs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual cost of measuring life satisfaction as part of the sustainable development indicators.

Photo of Phil Woolas Phil Woolas Minister of State (Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The intention is for questions on life satisfaction to be included in various surveys run by Government Departments for other purposes, thereby enabling life satisfaction to be analysed alongside other survey data. The annual cost will be small in comparison with the overall costs of the surveys concerned.

An update for 2008 will come from the Department of Health "Healthy Foundations Life-Stage Segmentation" survey, which is looking at the drivers for behaviour relating to smoking, obesity, alcohol and substance abuse, sexual health and mental health. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has contributed £4,400 to ensure the inclusion of the life satisfaction question in this survey.

Future updates will come from other surveys, for example the "Taking Part" survey run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

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