Dear Colleagues,
The Statistics Authority’s Monitoring and Assessment team has started to think about how we can enhance the value of the Code of Practice. The Code was published in 2009. It has been important and influential, both because it’s acted as a common language and guide to statisticians and policymakers across UK government and beyond, and as the basis for a sustained programme of work to ensure that official statistics meet high standards in the way that they are produced and published, and hence merit designation as ‘National Statistics’.
To begin this stock take, I would firstly like to gather the thoughts and opinions of those of us who draw on the Code regularly. Understanding the lived experience of the Code will be invaluable, and I’d like to invite you to spend a few minutes filling in the questionnaire.
But I want the stock take to be wide-ranging, creative and energetic. So the information gathered from the questionnaire will be used to identify common themes that we’ll explore in detail at future workshops. And the themes will feed into our exploration of ways in which we can better align the Code with the way we have developed the National Statistics ‘brand’ – to refer to statistics that meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value.
We’d be delighted if you could participate in the workshops we’ll be organising in the coming months. I’d also encourage you to keep abreast of developments in this project either by submitting your email in the questionnaire, or by visiting Code of Practice on our webpage.
And, if you have an specific thoughts you’d like to share with me, please feel free to email me at ed.humpherson@statistics.gsi.gov.uk.
Ed Humpherson, Director General of Regulation
Monitoring and Assessment, UK Statistics Authority