official statistics in the uk innovations in governance mike hughes office for national statistics...
TRANSCRIPT
Official Statistics in the UK
Innovations in Governance
Mike Hughes
Office for National Statistics
20 February 2009
Outline
• Background to present system
• National Statistics System
• Legislation - the new approach
History
• 1941 - Central Statistical Office (CSO)
• 1968 - Government Statistical Service (GSS)
• 1996 - Office for National Statistics
• 2000 - Launch of current National Statistics System
• 2008 - Statistics Act
Characteristics of ‘Statistics UK’
• Decentralised (GSS in 30+ departments)• Coordinated through NSI (= ONS)• ONS reported to Finance Ministry pre 2008• Devolved ( 4 ‘UK’ Nations )• European Union ( 27 ‘Other’ Nations )• Global ( UN, IMF, World Bank )• Largely non-statutory pre 2008
Genesis of ReformsStatistics - part of the Political Process ?
• Counting ‘problems’ ?• Unemployment
• Crime
• Release ‘problems’ ?• Pre-release ‘Spin’• ‘Burying’ bad news
Political statements
• Labour Party Manifesto (1997)An independent national statistical service
• Green Paper on Statistics Reform (1998)Tony Blair (the then PM)………….
– Government is pledged to clean up and modernise politics. We want a new relationship between Government and citizens, based on openness and trust
National Statistics System 2000
• New post- National Statistician• New body - Statistics Commission• Code of Practice• Quality kite mark and new emphasis on quality with Quality Reviews
• Greater accountability (Work Programme and Annual Report)
• Framework Document• New beginning ?
The phrase ‘National Statistics’
• Not an organisation• Not a group of people
A designated set of statistical products which:-
• are produced in accordance with Framework for National Statistics
• meet standards set in National Statistics Code of Practice
• are subject to regular Quality Reviews
UK Official Statistics - 4 Types
NNNSNNONSStatistics
OtherGSS
Statistics
National Statistics
Non-GSSStatistics
Role of Statistics Commission
• Independent ‘Watchdog’• Represented suppliers and users• Advised Ministers of concerns about quality
• Commented on Work Programme, Code of Practice, Quality Reviews
• Operated with total transparency• One-off Task - Review need for statistical legislation
Strengths of previous system
• More rigorous external oversight (via Statistics Commission) and greater internal focus on:–Professional standards–Quality Management–Relevance and Customer Service–Confidentiality–Joined-up Government–Transparency and Consultation
Fault Lines in previous system
• Ministerial control of ‘Scope’• Confusion between ‘National Statistics’ and
‘Other Statistics’• Pre-release Access• Lack of funding and commitment• Lack of accountability to National Statistician• Lack of enforcement powers• Inconsistent compliance with Code• Low impact on public trust + confidence
Does statistical legislation
provide the answer ?
Public Trust in Official Statistics
• Only 17 percent (1 person in 5) believe that UK official statistics are produced without political interference
• 60 percent (3 persons in 5) think that the government uses official statistics dishonestly
• Most common reasons for not trusting official statistics are:
– They contradict people’s personal experience– They are perceived to be open to manipulation
Confidence in Official Statistics
However…..More confidence in:• Quality / Methodology of official statistics• The Office for National Statistics itself
Conclusion……..• Production/Outputs = Good quality• Delivery and Presentation = Untrustworthy
Models for legislation
Model 1Give Commission statutory powers reporting to
Parliament
Model 2Give Commission statutory powers and make ONS
non-ministerial department, both reporting to Parliament
Model 3Give ONS statutory powers as a non-ministerial
department, reporting to Parliament subsuming Commission role
STATISTICS ACT: MAIN FEATURES
• New body - The UK Statistics Authority • Authority independent of Ministers – directly
accountable to Parliament • Creates new Executive Office (= ONS)• Abolishes the Statistics Commission –
functions subsumed within the Authority• Statutory Code of Practice and new
Assessment function• Covers United Kingdom
THE UK STATISTICS AUTHORITY
• Established as ‘Non-Ministerial Department’. Replaces oversight role Treasury Ministers had over ONS
• Authority’s Board has majority of Non-Executives with a Non-Executive Chair
• Executives on the Board comprise the National Statistician and two others
• Staff within the Authority and ‘Executive Office’ to be civil servants
• Special funding arrangements – 5 year budget
THE STATISTICS AUTHORITY OBJECTIVE
Statutory objective
To promote and safeguard the production of statistics that serve the public good.
By promoting and safeguarding: • the quality of official statistics • good statistical practice • the comprehensiveness of official statistics
PRE-RELEASE ACCESS
• Excluded from Code of Practice, but……..
• The Government has set out new rules and principles relating to the granting of pre-release access to statistics - in secondary legislation
• Scottish, Welsh or NI Ministers can create their own rules
• Compliance with rules subject to assessment by the UK Statistics Authority
STRENGTHS OF LEGISLATION
• 2000 Reforms embedded in Legislation
• Ministerial Role transferred to Authority
• Authority’s UK-wide remit• Statutory Code• Statutory accreditation of statistics
• Opportunities for Data Sharing
ISSUES
• Ministerial control over ‘Pre-Release practices’
• Lack of clear separation between scrutiny and executive (production) roles
• Board has responsibility for, but no authority over, official statistics in other Government bodies
• Definition of “Official Statistics”• Weak arrangements for UK co-ordination
Thank you
THE NATIONAL STATISTICIAN
The National Statistician’s statutory role comprises advisory and executive functions
• the Government’s (Authority’s) Chief Advisor on statistical matters
• the Chief Executive of the Authority • the establishment of an Executive Office (i.e.
the ONS-as-is).• may not exercise the Authority’s functions
relating to Assessment and the Code of Practice
ASSESSMENT FUNCTION
Authority has particular legal duties to: • independently set professional standards in
a new Code of Practice • ‘assess’ all National Statistics against those
standards (both current NS and additional statistics nominated by Ministers)
• prepare and publish a work programme for the re-assessment of National Statistics
• prepare and publish a Statement of Principles of Assessment
Non-Legislative Provision
A central ‘Publication Hub’
A web portal through which all National Statistics are published under the new system, thereby separating statistical release from political or policy comment
Combined with:• Release Calendar• Catalogue of all statistical releases• Media Briefing Facility