Government is warning that people who refuse to do their literacy survey will be hit with large fines.

Chief Statician Valerie Robinson-James said Government plans to step up its PR campaign for the literacy survey after admitting it is falling behind.

She hopes most of the 4,500 interviews would be done by the end of May, but she could not say how many had already been done so far.

She said: "As with all surveys we are going to get a segment which refuses. We have trained interviewers as to the reason for the survey and how it can benefit the community."

Around 100 interviewers are now roaming the Island doing the random interviews which can last up to three hours and have sparked anger from some busy residents.

Ms Robinson-James warned those who refused to be interviewed would be hit with the Statistics Act 2002 in which first time offenders can be fined up to $1,000.

Repeat offenders can be fined up to $1,000 for each day they refuse to co-operate.

Chief Statician Valerie Robinson-James said: "We are only three weeks into this. The first week we had very rainy weather so it was a slow start but it's beginning to pick up now."

She said the initial target had been three completed interviews per week per interviewer but so far the average was two.

"We will still hit the May deadline by making sure we average at least three completed a week per interviewer. Some interviewers are doing this already."

She said interviewers were extensively trained and briefed on the importance of the survey to help them persuade reluctant interviewees.

Ms Robinson-James said there had been an extensive PR campaign on the TV and radio.

"We have had some reluctance on the doorstep. We will be heightening our PR so it becomes more visible.

"There will be more commercials on TV and radio and there will be person-to-person PR.

"We will go out into the community. There will be speaking engagements at different associations."

She said a mopping up operation to get those missed might extend into July, but the collated results would not be ready until the latter part of 2004.

"That's about standard for surveys; you normally get them within one and a half years."

The survey should be looked at as an investment which would help improve literacy skills for the adult working population said Ms Robinson-James.

"The data we get gives us a profile of literacy and numeracy and problem solving skills for 15-65-year-olds.

"I have no numbers of how many people have refused."

She also said it was too early to start fining those who refuse to co-operate.

"We realise the survey is long." The survey can be split in two parts to make it more managable said Ms Robinson-James.

Opposition Heath spokesman Michael Dunkley said constituents had been complaining about the length of the surveys.

"One person was really irate, saying we have all these phone surveys, polls and the census but nothing ever happens from it. It does nothing to improve their life in Bermuda."

He said he had tried to get hold of a survey to find out why it took so long but the Statistics department had refused to send one.

"You would think as an MP you could get one to have a better understanding of what the problems were."

The survey will be used to formulate policy. It will measure prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills.

Known as the Adult Literacy and Life (ALL) Skills Survey, the exercise is being led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Statistics Canada.

Besides Bermuda this year's ALL survey will be conducted in Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Holland and the United States.

Premier Jennifer Smith said when the survey was launched that various agencies, and the corporate community, have long been concerned about low literacy levels of Bermuda's adult population.