Statement from the UK Statistics Authority Board
Independent official statistics inform the public, appearing in the news every day, but recently the Office for National Statistics and UK Statistics Authority have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
The ongoing Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry has highlighted measurement failings – particularly in UK labour market data – and serious problems in the leadership culture of the ONS. As the Board of the UK Statistics Authority which oversees the ONS we accept responsibility and we are acting urgently to restore trust.
In March, jointly with the Cabinet Office, we commissioned an independent review by Sir Robert Devereux. His report, published in June, set out clear recommendations, and we accepted them in full. At the same time, the ONS publicly set out a detailed plan for improving core economic statistics and survey data collection.
The Acting National Statistician Emma Rourke took immediate steps to establish a more open culture, simplifying decision making, and redirecting resources. On 4 August James Benford joined from the Bank of England as Director General for Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics to lead the recovery plan for economic statistics. And this week, following Sir Robert Devereux’s recommendation to split the National Statistician role, Darren Tierney joined as the ONS’s new Permanent Secretary. Rebuilding trust will take time, and we will continue to engage with PACAC’s inquiry and look forward to its formal recommendations when they are published.
As Darren told staff on his first day in the role:
“There is much to do to get on top of the challenges many colleagues raised and which were highlighted in the Devereux report. I have no doubt at all that we will do so. I want an ONS that has brilliant people, produces trusted, high-quality and impactful statistics, and is a well-run organisation”.
We all do, and we are determined to make it happen.