This paper aims to explain briefly the OPCS strategy for conversion of its social survey work to computer assisted methods, and then to examine some of the second-level issues that have arisen in the early stages of implementing this strategy. The issues chosen arise in parts of the survey system where Blaise is the software used at OPCS. The issues are in the fields of authoring, testing instruments, documentation and computer assisted coding. The paper refers in particular to the Employment Department's Labour Force Survey, the first survey for which OPCS used computer assisted methods of data collection. A companion paper by Jil Matheson discusses
the more complex surveys which are now being implemented in CASM, using Blaise.