UK Statistics Authority
Press Statement in response to the Treasury Committee report
counting the population
UNITED KINGDOM
STATISTICS AUTHORITY News Release issued by The Government News
Network on 23 May 2008
The UK Statistics
Authority welcomes publication of the House of Commons Treasury
Committee report Counting the Population which calls for urgent
improvements to the current statistics on migration and population
and tasks the Statistics Authority with taking a lead in finding
solutions, drawing as necessary on data from across government.
Chairman of the Statistics Authority, Sir Michael Scholar
said:
"This is an important report. The issues it raises
require our urgent attention and we will be seeking to ensure that
the Office for National Statistics, together with several
government departments, achieves rapid progress in improving the statistics.
"The Authority notes that there is already a
cross-government programme of work in place to improve estimates
of migration, led by the National Statistician with the support of
a Ministerial group.
"However, we recognise and share the Committee's
concerns about the length of time substantive improvements seem
likely to take; and we are also concerned about whether enough is
being done across government to provide ONS with the raw data
needed to produce reliable estimates. We will therefore consider
with a range of experts from inside and outside government what
further specific steps should now be taken.
"We will in due course make a fuller response to the
Committee's report, independently of the Government response."
Notes to Editors
1. The Statistics and Registration Service
Act gained Royal Assent in 2007 out of which The UK Statitistics
Authority came into existence on 1 April 2008. Since its official
launch the UK Statistics Authority, and not Government Ministers,
are in charge of the nation's main economic and social
statistics produced by ONS. The Authority is fully independent and
reports directly to Parliament, not through Government Ministers
or departments so as to be sure that these figures are not subject
to political interference or manipulation. In addition, the
Authority have oversight of all UK official statistics, with
statutory powers and the obligation to promote, improve and
safeguard official statistics across the UK. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2007/ukpga_20070018_en_1
2. The level of trust in official statistics is currently very
low in Britain, recognised by Government through the introduction
of the legislation, with all-party support in both Houses of
Parliament, and support from the devolved Administrations, to
establish the new Authority. A recent survey released by the
Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 17 March 2008 found that
only one in five people think figures are compiled without
political interference. The UK came 27th out of 27 in a recent
survey within European countries of trust in their
Governments' statistics.
3. Sir Michael Scholar KCB was appointed Chair of the new
Authority in September 2007 in open competition, and with
Parliamentary approval under the new procedure. He is President of
St John's College, Oxford. He has been a governor of the
National Institute for Economic and Social Research since 2001.
Previously he was Permanent Secretary to the Department of Trade
and Industry (1996 to 2001), Permanent Secretary to the Welsh
Office (1993 to 1996) and Private Secretary to the then Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher (1981 to 1983).
4. The non-executive members of the authority were appointed in
open competition and are:
Lord Rowe-Beddoe of Kilgetty (David
Rowe-Beddoe), who will occupy the Deputy Chair post with
responsibility for the governance of the Office for National
Statistics.
Professor Adrian Smith FRS, who will occupy the
Deputy Chair post with responsibility for promoting and
safeguarding the production and publication of all official
statistics across the UK.
Professor David Rhind CBE, FRS, FBA
who was Chairman of the Statistics Commission and was
Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the City University in London
until July 2007.
He is a non-executive director of the Bank of
England's Court of Directors, and until 1998 was
Director-General of the Ordnance Survey.
Partha Dasgupta who
is currently Chief Executive of the Pension Protection Fund and a
former Managing Director at Barclays Global Investors.
Sir
Alan Langlands FRSE who is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Dundee. He was Chief Executive of the National
Health Service in England 1994-2000.
Moira Gibb CBE who is
Chief Executive Officer of Camden Borough Council.
Professor
Steve Nickell CBE, FBA who is Warden of Nuffield College, Oxford.
He was a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy
Committee from June 2000 to May 2006.
5. The Authority also includes three executive members. These
are: the National Statistician, Karen Dunnell; the Head of
Assessment, Richard Alldritt; and the ONS Finance Director, Steve Newman.
6. The postal address for the UK Statistics Authority is,
Statistics House, Tredegar Park, Newport, NP10 8XG.
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