Summary

The Terms of Reference for this Review summarised the areas of concern as the “performance and culture” of the Office for National Statistics, following a number of issues with core economic statistics. The full Terms of Reference have been published along with this review.

While the Review was in progress, the National Statistician Professor Sir Ian Diamond retired, with immediate effect, on account of ill health. The country was fortunate that he was at the helm of the ONS during the pandemic, during which he catalysed extraordinary work to deliver the COVID infection survey, and a range of behavioural data to help manage the pandemic. Shortly afterwards, under his leadership, ONS delivered a very successful 2021 census of England and Wales.

His interim successor, Emma Rourke, has taken two immediate steps of relevance to the review:

• extending the membership of the ONS Executive Committee, and simplifying other governance structures, to strengthen decision making;
• publishing, in parallel with this Review, a document which acknowledges the issues of quality (as requested by the Office for Statistics Regulation) and sets out how those issues can be remedied, including through re-prioritising spend in the current financial year.

I welcome both of these developments, since I expect them to make an immediate and positive impact on both culture and performance.

As I will explain, there are other – more deep-seated – issues which also need to be addressed at ONS. In my view, these would best be addressed by temporarily separating the role of National Statistician from the role of ONS Permanent Secretary, appointing to the latter someone with a track record of leading an operational business, indeed of “turning round” such an organisation. I suggest temporary separation since, with the more effort to develop evident talent within the Government Statistical Service, I think it might well be possible to re-combine the roles in due course, once the organisation’s core business is back on a more stable footing.

Having met a large number of ONS staff, and been impressed by their expertise and dedication, I am confident that with the changes already made, and those which would flow from the proposed appointments, ONS can rebuild its reputation as a leading National Statistical Institute.