[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 250 (Friday, December 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67370-67371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31527]



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[[Page 67371]]


PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTY CORPORATION


Request for Comment on Proposed Collection of Information Under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act; Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Focus 
Groups

AGENCY: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of intention to request OMB approval.

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SUMMARY: The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation intends to request 
that the Office of Management and Budget approve a series of new 
collections of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The 
purpose of the information collections, which will be conducted through 
focus groups and surveys over a three-year period, is to help the PBGC 
assess the efficiency and effectiveness with which it serves its 
customers and to design actions to address identified problems. The 
effect of this notice is to advise the public of, and to solicit public 
comment on, these proposed collections of information.

ADDRESSES: All written comments should be addressed to: Office of 
General Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Suite 340, 1200 
K St. NW., Washington, D. C. 20005. The comments will be available for 
public inspection at the PBGC Communications and Public Affairs 
Department, Suite 240, 1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, 
between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marc L. Jordan, Attorney, Office of 
the General Counsel, Suite 340, 1200 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20005, 202-326-4026 (202-326-4179 for TTY and TDD). (These are not 
toll-free numbers.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35) establishes policies and procedures for controlling 
the paperwork burdens imposed by Federal agencies on the public. The 
Act vests the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with regulatory 
responsibility over these burdens, and OMB has promulgated rules on the 
clearance of collections of information by Federal agencies.
    Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, states 
that, in order to carry out the principles of the National Performance 
Review, the Federal Government must be customer-driven. It directs all 
executive departments and agencies that provide significant services 
directly to the public to provide those services in a manner that seeks 
to meet the customer service standards established in the Executive 
Order.
    The PBGC proposes to establish a mechanism through which it will be 
able to explore issues of mutual concern (e.g., kind and quality of 
desired services) with its major outside client groups, i.e., 
participants and beneficiaries, plan sponsors and their affiliates, 
plan administrators, pension practitioners and others involved in the 
establishment, operation and termination of plans covered by the PBGC's 
insurance program.
    The areas of concern to the PBGC and its client groups will change 
over time, and it is important that the PBGC have the ability to 
evaluate customer concerns quickly. Accordingly, the PBGC plans to 
request that OMB grant ``generic'' approval, for a three-year period, 
of focus groups and surveys of the PBGC's outside client groups. 
Participation in the focus groups and surveys will be voluntary. The 
PBGC will consult with OMB regarding each specific information 
collection during the approval period.
    This voluntary collection of information will put a slight burden 
on a very small percentage of the public. The PBGC expects to conduct 
focus groups involving a total of approximately 225 persons each year, 
with a total annual burden of approximately 675 hours, including travel 
time. (Some portion of this time may be spent completing surveys at 
focus group meetings.) In addition, the PBGC expects to distribute 
written surveys to approximately 1,600 persons each year (in most cases 
as an adjunct to a focus group), with a total annual burden of 
approximately 200 hours.
    The PBGC is specifically seeking public comments to:
    (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 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.

    Issued at Washington, DC, this 26th day of December, 1995.
Martin Slate,
Executive Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
[FR Doc. 95-31527 Filed 12-28-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7708-01-P