2012-17755. New Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY:

Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION:

30-day Notice.

SUMMARY:

This notice announces that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has forwarded the new Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. TSA published a Federal Register notice, with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments, of the following collection of information on May 16, 2012 (77 FR 28893). The proposed information collection activity provides a means to gather qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery.

DATES:

Send your comments by August 20, 2012. A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB. Comments should be addressed to Desk Officer, Department of Homeland Security/TSA, and sent via electronic mail to [e-mail] or faxed to [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan L. Perkins, TSA PRA Officer, Office of Information Technology (OIT), TSA-11, Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street, Arlington, VA 20598-6011; telephone [phone]; email [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The ICR documentation is available at http://www.reginfo.gov. Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and approval of the following information collection, TSA is soliciting comments to—

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement 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;

(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 using appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Information Collection Requirement

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

Type of Request: New collection.

OMB Control Number: Not yet assigned.

Form(s): NA.

Affected Public: Individuals, households, businesses, organizations, and State, Local or Tribal Government.

Abstract: The proposed information collection activity provides a means to gather qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery.

From the TSA perspective, qualitative feedback from customers and stakeholders is information that provides useful insights on their perceptions, experiences, opinions, and expectations regarding TSA products or services, provides TSA with an early warning of issues with service, and focuses attention on areas where improvement is needed regarding communication, training, or changes in operations that 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. They 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 by TSA. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.

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. 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 agency (if released, the agency must indicate the qualitative nature of the information). Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful qualitative information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. Qualitative information is not designed or expected to yield statistically reliable or actionable results; it will not be used for quantitative information collections. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, there may be future information collection submissions for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

Below we provide the Transportation Security Administration's projected average estimates for the next three years:

Number of Respondents: 125,000.

Estimated Annual Burden Hours: An estimated 33,450 hours annually.

Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on July 16, 2012.

Susan L. Perkins,

TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Office of Information Technology.