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UK Statistics AuthorityPublicationsNational Statistician’s Inclusive Data Advisory Committee minutes: 28 October 2025

National Statistician’s Inclusive Data Advisory Committee minutes: 28 October 2025

Published
11 December 2025
Last updated on
11 December 2025
Produced by

Attendees

Members:

  • Professor Evelyn Collins
  • Professor Anthony Heath
  • Professor Melanie Jones
  • Lela Kogbara
  • Si Chun Lam
  • Richard Laux
  • Darren McKinstry
  • Professor Wendy Sigle
  • Jagdev Singh Virdee
  • Professor Alice Sullivan

Experts:

  • Paul Williamson (Cabinet Office)
  • Ian Jones (Welsh Gov)
  • Isabella Schmidt (UN)
  • Orla Bateson (NISRA)

Office for National Statistics (ONS):

  • Fiona Dawe
  • Dawn Snape
  • Joy Preece
  • Cath Hollyhead
  • Michelle Waters

Secretariat

  • Louise Fryer

Additional attendees:

  • Shona Horter
  • DJ Oguntimehin

Apologies:

  • Eilidh McLaughlin (Scottish Gov)

Minutes

1. Welcome, Introductions and Declaration of Interest

  1. Professor Collins welcomed members to the first meeting of the new Committee and invited all participants to introduce themselves.
  2. The Committee agreed the meeting could be recorded for the purpose of drafting minutes, the recording then to be deleted.

2. Terms of Reference

  1. The Committee was invited to discuss and comment on the updated Terms of Reference. These were approved.
  2. The Committee agreed to a proactive and responsive advisory role, aligned with the Inclusive Data Task Force recommendations.

3. Aims of the Committee

  1. Emma Rourke, acting National Statistician, updated the Committee on the UK Statistical Authority structure, explaining its function as a non-ministerial department with three distinct arms: Office for National Statistics; Office for Statistical Regulation; and the Government Statistical Service.  She outlined the strategic direction for inclusivity across the Government Statistical Service and responded to a number of comments and queries raised.

4. Brief overview of the IDTF report and evaluation

  1. Dawn Snape provided an overview of the final assessment of the progress towards the Inclusive Data Task Force commitments and the findings of the Evaluation of the implementation of the IDTF. The IDTF annual report, including the evaluation report is due for publication by the end of November. The Committee agreed to review the evaluation report, once published, and to discuss at the next NSIDAC meeting in December to help shape future priorities.

5. Census overview

  1. Fiona Dawe gave an overview of progress towards the 2031 Census. The Government has commissioned ONS to deliver a mandatory questionnaire-based Census in 2031. A Census Task Force was established in Spring to deliver the Census business case to HM Treasury, and to make fundamental design decisions that will set the Census on the path to success.

6. Census Topic Consultation

  1. Cath Hollyhead outlined the Census Topic Consultation which opened on 28 October 2025 and will close on 4 Feb 2026. The Committee will spend time at the next meeting, scheduled for 9 December 2025, considering points to raise in its response to the consultation in the form of a letter to the National Statistician. Members were encouraged to both fill in the topic consultation themselves and to promote the consultation to their Networks.
  2. Michelle Waters talked the Committee through the evaluation criteria for the consultation. The Committee was asked to review the criteria focusing on whether revisions may be required to ensure inclusivity is fully considered. Anthony Heath and Evelyn Collins volunteered to collate responses and return the Committee’s comments to the NSIDAC secretariat by 7 November.

7. Harmonisation ethnicity consultation

  1. Joy Preece explained that a separate consultation to collect user needs for the development of a GSS Harmonised ethnicity standard will take place in parallel to the Census Topic Consultation.  The Committee was asked to review the evaluation criteria for the Ethnicity standard Consultation, again providing its response by 7 November 2025. Si Chun Lam volunteered to collate the Committee’s responses.

8. Cabinet Office – overview of equalities data landscape

  1. There was insufficient time for this agenda item and the decision taken to ask Paul Williamson to return to the next meeting, scheduled for 9 December 2025, to present.

9. Any other business

  1. The date of the next meeting is 9 December 2025.

Please note: These minutes were produced with the assistance of AI.