Background to National Statistics

Today official statistics lie at the heart of the democratic process, producing both the numbers a government relies on for policy-making, and the numbers the electorate relies on when deciding how to vote. So it is not surprising that official statistics can be a highly politicised affair.

Almost all countries reinforce their government statistical service's "independence", through legislation which guarantees professional control over such things as the sources and methods used to compile statistics and freedom to disseminate the results. Ministers and policy officials should not have access to statistical results in advance, confirming the professional independence of the statistical service and reinforcing the separation from undue political interference. This would also minimise the risk of figures being leaked or spun in advance.

The Royal Statistical Society long argued for an independent statistical service, free from political interference. It welcomed the passage of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, which set up the UK Statistics Authority as an arms-length body overseeing the official statistical system, and reporting directly to Parliament and not to the government.

Vision for National Statistics

The Royal Statistical Society has published its views on the current state and desired further development of the official statistical system through its Vision for National Statistics, now in its third update.

Download the Vision for National Statistics 2009 (pdf format, 95kb)

Past versions
Download the Vision for National Statistics 2005 (pdf format, 72kb)
Download the Vision for National Statistics 2002 (pdf format, 54kb)