Members present

• Dame Kate Barker (Chair)
• Eva Aizpura (Online)
• Professor Paul Allin
• Professor Paul Boyle (Online)
• Sarah Cumbers
• Ed Humpherson
• Phyllis MacFarlane (Online)

ONS attendees

• Adrian Chesson
• Paul Cotton
• June Bowman
• Lucinda Eggleton
• Mary Gregory
• Sarah Moore
• Phillipa Robinson

External attendees

• Madeleine Sumption

Secretariat

• Oluchi Enunwa
• Jo-Anna Hagen

Apologies

• James Brooks
• Helen Boaden

1. Welcome, previous minutes and actions

1. The Chair welcomed members to the meeting and noted apologies had been received from Helen Boaden and James Brooks. The Chair invited comments on the minutes of the March meeting. Members were content with the minutes.
2. Members were informed that Paul Allin would be stepping down from the Committee. The Chair thanked him for his significant contribution and long‑standing service to official statistics.
3. The Chair reflected that membership of the Committee would be reviewed once the new National Statistician is in post.
4. Looking ahead, the Chair noted that the September meeting would include external speakers, including contributions on Administrative Data Research (ADR). For the December meeting, it was proposed that the Committee meet virtually.
5. Members raised a point in relation to paragraph 5.2 of the March minutes, noting that references to exploring wider engagement approaches lacked detail and it would be helpful to understand what these activities would involve in practice. The Committee heard that a further update on engagement approaches would be provided as part of the UK Statistics Assembly update later in the meeting.

2. Reflections on Service to Official Statistics 

1. Paul Allin reflected on his career in official statistics and thanked the Committee for the opportunity to contribute to its work. He noted that he had worked in the statistical system for over fifty years, beginning as a cadet statistician in the Central Statistical Office. He had retired from the Office for National Statistics forty years later, and had the perspective both as a producer and a user of statistics.
2. He reflected that some aspects of the statistical system had remained relatively unchanged, particularly the range of topics of interest and their relative prioritisation, compared to the increased resources available to statisticians.
3. Members heard that gaps in statistical provision continued to exist and were often only addressed where there was a clear government requirement. He noted that engagement with users beyond government had developed over time but remained largely rooted in formal consultation processes. He also reflected on the continued tendency for official statistics to prioritise government users over wider public interest, despite the stated aim of serving the public good.
4. Members thanked Paul for his reflections. The following points were raised in discussion:
   1. members noted the observation that, while much had changed over time, many core features of the statistical system had remained consistent;
   2. the implications of changes in the wider public sphere, including the increasingly fragmented environment in which statistics were used and communicated ;
   3. that the Committee might wish to explore this further, including by inviting an external speaker to provide insight into public communication of statistics; and
   4. the ongoing balance between meeting government needs and serving the wider public, noting the importance of maintaining this balance in a challenging external environment and the role of the incoming National Statistician in supporting this.
5. The Chair thanked Paul for his reflections and for his longstanding contribution to official statistics and his work on the Committee.

3. Migration Data 

1. Madeleine Sumption outlined the significant improvements made in migration statistics over recent years, particularly since the challenges experienced during the COVID‑19 period. She noted that estimates of migration flows for non‑EU citizens had improved substantially, supported by a shift away from survey‑based approaches such as the International Passenger Survey (IPS) towards administrative data sources. She also highlighted improvements in the presentation and communication of migration statistics and the increasing use of expert consultation to inform methodological development.
2. Despite these improvements, there were a number of ongoing challenges. She emphasised that the lack of robust stock data limited the ability to provide context for other statistics and to support local-level analysis, and noted that uncertainty remained as to whether developments such as the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS) would address these issues.
3. She reflected further on the limitations of historical data sources, noting that while headline estimates from the IPS had been useful, more detailed breakdowns had been less reliable. Members were informed of the long‑standing challenges in survey-based approaches, including difficulties in capturing newly arrived migrants. While administrative data offered improvements in some areas, these sources were not without limitations.
4. Members discussed the update. The following points were raised in discussion:
   1. members noted the progress that had been made in improving migration statistics and welcomed the move towards administrative data sources, while recognising the remaining limitations in key areas such as British citizen flows and migration stocks;
   2. members discussed the reliability of historical migration data, noting that while earlier estimates retained some value, caution was needed when interpreting detailed breakdowns;
   3. members considered the role of the census in supporting migration estimates, noting that while it would remain an important source of benchmark data, its infrequency limited its ability to capture more recent migration patterns;
   4. members discussed challenges in the communication and accessibility of migration statistics, noting that while the statistical bulletins were clear and well‑presented, users could find it difficult to locate them, and that wider public and media interpretation remained an issue;
   5. members reflected on the balance between communication and subsequent use of statistics, noting that misinterpretation, particularly of administrative data or where inappropriate denominators were applied, could lead to misleading conclusions;
   6. members discussed broader issues relating to the availability and accessibility of data for research purposes, noting that limited access to UK administrative data may be contributing to a shift in academic research towards other countries; and
   7. members discussed the changing ways in which users access statistics, including increasing reliance on search engines and AI-generated summaries, and noted ongoing work to improve the visibility and accessibility of ONS outputs.
5. The Chair thanked Madeleine for her presentation, noting the progress made in improving migration statistics alongside the ongoing challenges highlighted, and thanked members for their discussion.

4. UK Statistics Assembly Progress against the recommendations

1. Lucinda Eggleton introduced this item and noted that a draft update report had been circulated earlier in the week. She explained that, since the last update, work had progressed with priority owners across the system and that delivery reflected a shared model across the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the wider Government Statistical Service (GSS).
2. The cross‑system nature of delivery, combined with resource pressures across ONS and government departments, had impacted the pace at which some recommendations could be progressed. She noted that the report aimed to provide a transparent account of progress and that updates were also being discussed at the National Statistics Executive Group (NSEG) and the UK Statistics Authority Board.
3. Philippa Robinson added that views were being sought from Heads of Profession across the GSS and from NSEG. She explained that the report would include overarching summaries across four priority themes, supported by a more detailed, line‑by‑line update on individual recommendations, likely presented in a supplementary format. The Committee’s views were invited on the structure, clarity, and content of the report.
4. Members discussed the update. The following points were raised in discussion:
   1. members welcomed the draft report and described it as comprehensive, clear and a helpful summary of progress;
   2. it was emphasised that clarity and transparency in the presentation would be important, including clearly distinguishing between ONS and wider GSS responsibilities;
   3. members supported the inclusion of a detailed line‑by‑line tracker, noting that this would be particularly useful if it allowed sorting and filtering, and was complemented by visual summaries;
   4. it was suggested that the report should be more explicit in places, particularly where prioritisation decisions had affected the pace or scope of delivery;
   5. members highlighted the importance of clearly reflecting user engagement activity, including work with external partners such as the Royal Statistical Society;
   6. it was noted that while the principles set out were broadly supported, further consideration could be given to how continuous engagement would operate in practice, given resource constraints;
   7. members discussed the value of enabling wider participation and feedback, including exploring whether elements of the draft could be shared more broadly with users;
   8. the timing of the next UK Statistics Assembly was discussed, with a preference for maintaining momentum through an interim engagement event and ensuring the next full Assembly took place within an appropriate timeframe; and
   9. it was suggested that the report should clearly communicate that priorities may evolve over time, while maintaining transparency on current plans.
5. The Chair thanked colleagues for the update and welcomed the progress made to date. She noted the importance of maintaining clarity and transparency as the work progressed, and of continuing to engage widely with users in developing the final report.

5. ONS User Needs Steering Group

1. Adrian Chesson introduced the ONS User Needs Steering Group and outlined its purpose, noting that it had been established in response to strategic risks identified in the ONS business plan relating to understanding and delivering against user needs. He explained that the programme aimed to improve how user needs are identified, stored and used to inform prioritisation and outputs across the organisation.
2. Adrian outlined the three core strands of the programme: prioritisation, data, and dissemination. He noted that the work would consider how user needs are currently captured, how they could be more systematically recorded across the organisation, and how a clearer prioritisation framework could be developed. He added that the programme was at an early stage and that further detail would be brought back to the Committee in September.
3. Members discussed the update. The following points were raised in discussion:
   1. members welcomed the intention to bring greater structure and consistency to the understanding of user needs across ONS;
   2. it was noted that clarity would be important in how this work aligns with wider user engagement activity and the broader engagement strategy, and further work would be undertaken to strengthen this linkage;
   3. the committee heard that the programme would be coordinated with the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy currently being developed by ONS;
   4. members emphasised the importance of taking a system‑wide perspective, noting that while it was sensible to begin within ONS, early engagement with the wider Government Statistical Service (GSS) would be important to avoid duplication and ensure coherence, and this would be taken forward with relevant GSS groups;
   5. it was suggested that the programme would benefit from a clearer articulation of how users would engage with the process in practice, and further detail would be developed as the programme progresses;
   6. members highlighted the importance of transparency in how user needs are prioritised and how decisions are made, and it was noted that this would form part of future development;
   7. it was noted that clearer mechanisms for feeding back to users on how their input has been used would be essential, and that the approach would build on and complement existing engagement mechanisms rather than replace them;
   8. members discussed how existing engagement approaches and initiatives, including “waiting room” models, would align with this work, and it was noted that this would be considered as part of developing a more coherent approach;
   9. the Committee heard that the programme would take a phased and practical approach, including piloting new methods and refining these before wider implementation.
4. The Chair thanked Adrian for the update and welcomed the direction of the work, noting the importance of ensuring clarity, transparency and alignment with wider engagement activity as the programme develops.

Action:

Secretariat to engage with the GSS Secretariat and relevant groups to ensure alignment and avoid duplication in approaches to capturing and prioritising user needs.

Action:

Further detail on the commissioning forum and programme approach to be provided at the September meeting.

6. Any other business

1. The Committee noted that potential speakers for future meetings would continue to be reviewed and refreshed as appropriate.
2. The Chair highlighted that the annual effectiveness review of the Committee would be undertaken and that members would be circulated with a feedback form. It was noted that responses from all members, including those stepping down, would be welcomed.
3. The Committee heard an update on ongoing work to strengthen user engagement. It was noted that this built on previous discussions and focused on two key areas: broadening the range of users engaged and deepening the nature of that engagement beyond information‑sharing. Members noted a number of initiatives being trialled to support this, including targeted briefings to accompany major statistical releases, dedicated sessions to discuss programme priorities with stakeholder groups, the development of an ONS stakeholder panel for specific user groups, and collaboration through external events and partnerships. The Committee noted that these approaches would be tested and refined over time, and that a further update could be brought back to a future meeting to reflect on progress and lessons learned.
4. The Chair thanked members presenters and the Secretariat for their contributions and support in organising the meeting, and confirmed that the next meeting was due to take place in the London office on 15 September 2026.