The right blend of qualitative and quantitative inquiry can illuminate the scope and dimensions of a problem, uncover root causes, and reliably test whether alternative solutions actually work to produce lasting change in the real world.
Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Mr Miliband warned the prime minister that "this is the moment when our promises are being tested, " adding the big test was whether victims of phone hacking - the illegal press practice that sparked the Leveson Inquiry - would be happy with what the government proposed.
The committee's report said it was "regrettable" that ETS, the American company behind the doomed test delivery, withdrew from the UK and "chose not to engage" with Lord Sutherland's inquiry into the fiasco.