The UK statistical system comprises:
- the Board of the UK Statistics Authority, which is responsible for oversight of the statistical system
- the Office for Statistics Regulation, which is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority
- the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is the largest producer of official statistics in the UK and the UK’s National Statistical Institute
- the Government Statistical Service (GSS), which is a community of all those involved in the production of official statistics in the UK
The majority of official statistics are produced by statisticians operating under the umbrella of the GSS, working in either the ONS, UK government departments and agencies, or one of the three devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
There is a Concordat on Statistics between the UK Statistics Authority, wider UK Government, and the devolved administrations. The Concordat sets out a jointly agreed framework for statistical collaboration between the UK Government, and the Northern Ireland, Scottish, and Welsh Governments.
Every public body with a significant GSS presence (in terms of statisticians involved in the production or use of official statistics) has its own designated Head of Profession for Statistics, and each of the three devolved administrations has its own Chief Statistician. The Heads of Profession and their staff in each organisation are accountable to the National Statistician acting in their capacity as the Head of the GSS.
