Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Helen Grant

To answer each of these points in turn:

a) DCMS uses Department for Transport cost of fatality estimates where relevant to policy development. For instance, this valuation technique was used recently as part of the assessment of costs associated with allowing motor sport on closed roads.

b) DCMS follows valuation guidance set out in HM Treasury’s Green Book, including the use of willingness to pay techniques, to proportionately assess the impact of policy interventions. Willingness to pay has been used as part of the DCMS cost-benefit analysis of Digital Radio Switchover, for example. DCMS also recommends Green Book valuation techniques are used by our ALBs to inform spending decisions.

c) DCMS uses the Quality Adjusted Life Year approach where relevant to policy development. To take an example, the Culture and Sport Evidence programme that DCMS shares with a range of ALB partners has developed a Quality Adjusted Live Year approach for physical health benefits of sport, which Sport England use to assess local impacts.

Other techniques used to assess benefits of interventions include macro-economic modelling to assess the impacts of both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and superfast broadband investment funded by the Department.