Background to National Statistics

About 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. 

Despite the creation of National Statistics and the appointment of the UK's first National Statistician, Len Cook, in 2000 the UK still has some way to go if public confidence is to be maximised.

The Royal Statistical Society has long argued for an independent statistical service, free from political interference.

Following responses to government Green and White Papers in the late 1990s, the Society established a working party, chaired by Professor Tim Holt of Southampton University, and published its own Vision for National Statisticsin 2002.

In 2006 it published an update of this vision, which provided the basis for much of the Society's work on informing and influencing the debate leading to the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

The Society continues to engage with the UK Statistics Authority and with ONS.

An archive of publications and press releases is maintained for those wanting further information

Contact

If you have any queries or require further information on National Statistics and statistical legislation, please feel free to contact the Society's External Relations office.

Links

www.statscom.org.uk
www.statistics.gov.uk