Session information

Breakout session A: 10:30 to 11:30

Breakout 1: Economic statistics and measuring progress   

Room: Main hall

Question: What needs to be achieved to ensure the measurement of economic statistics keeps pace with societal and technological changes?

Description: Changes such as digital transformation, evolving work patterns and environmental sustainability all have impacts on the economy and economic statistics.

Facilitator: Dame Kate Barker

Discussants:

• Professor Sir Charlie Bean, Emeritus Professor of Economics, London School of Economics
• Dr Liz Hind, Senior Local Partnerships and Training Officer, Women’s Budget Group
• Professor Rebecca Riley, Professor of Practice in Economics at King’s Business School, and Director of the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence

GSS lead: Richard Heys, Deputy Chief Economist, Office for National Statistics

Breakout 2: Coherence 

Room: 204

Question: What are the priority topics that need to be coherent between the four UK nations?

Description: Official statistics are produced by different organisations across the four UK nations. Some different data collection approaches are used, and different outputs are produced to meet different user needs in each nation. How do we balance these user needs with the need to conduct analysis of the whole UK and compare parts of it?

Facilitator: Dr Sarah Cumbers, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Statistical Society

Discussants:

• Steve Ellerd-Elliot, Chief Statistician, Department for Work and Pensions
• Dr Philip Wales, Chief Executive and Registrar General, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
• Alistair McAlpine, Chief Statistician, Scottish Government
• Stephanie Howarth, Chief Statistician, Welsh Government

GSS lead: Esther Taylor, Deputy Director, Future Population and Migration Statistics Technical Engagement, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 3: Data sourcing quality and methods   

Room: 202/203

Question: Do we need an overall strategy for data sourcing to drive quality and resilience and ensure transparency to users?

Description: The increasing use of administrative data and alternative data including citizens’ and private sector data, data modelling and other new approaches means statistics are produced from a range of sources. However, this brings new challenges including assessing and transparently communicating quality, risk and reliability.

Facilitator: Lincoln Blair, Deputy Director, Strategy and Organisational Effectiveness, Office for National Statistics

Discussants:

• Gerry Nicolaas, Director of Methods, The National Centre for Social Research
• Professor Paul Smith, Head of Department, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, University of Southampton
• Georgina Sturge, Senior Library Clerk, House of Commons Library

GSS leads: Sarah Henry, Director of Methodology and Quality, Office for National Statistics and Fiona James, Director of Data Growth and Operations and Chief Data Officer, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 4: User engagement   

Room: 205

Question: How should the statistics system enhance user engagement and communications to better ensure user needs are met?

Description: The Lievesley Review recommended an Assembly as part of a wider need to strengthen engagement and enable users to inform priorities across the UK official statistics system. There is a wide diversity of users and user needs, hence ensuring the official statistics system engages effectively, openly and fairly with all groups is a challenge.

Facilitator: Rob Kent-Smith, Deputy Head, Office for Statistics Regulation

Discussants:

• Ken Roy, Member, Royal Statistical Society National Statistics Advisory Group
• Simon Briscoe, User, Independent
• Juliet Whitworth, Head of Research and Information, Local Government Association

GSS lead: Sarah Moore, Director of Communications, Engagement and Publishing, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 5: Health disparities  

Room: 201

Question: How should we improve measuring health disparities across different communities, including health surveillance and monitoring?

Description: Measuring health disparities in the UK is complex due to the interplay of socioeconomic, geographic and demographic factors, and the need for quality, granular data to capture inequalities across diverse communities and regions.

Facilitator: Philippa Bonay, Director for Operations, Office for National Statistics

Discussants:

• Veena Raleigh, Senior Public Health Fellow, The King’s Fund
• Leonora Volpe, Health Inequalities Senior Professional Advisor, NHS England
• Rony Arafin, Director of Health Insights, British Heart Foundation

GSS lead: Lucy Vickers, Chief Data Officer and Chief Statistician, Department for Health and Social Care 

Breakout session B: 11:50 to 12:50

Breakout 6: Public sector performance

Room: 202/203

Question: What’s needed to assess the performance of public services, such as the health service?

Description: Relevant statistics are needed for public service providers, their users and citizens, to objectively assess performance.

Facilitator: Professor David Hand, Chair, National Statisticians Expert User Advisory Committee, UK Statistics Authority

Discussants:

• Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher, Institute for Government
• Ruth Kelly, Chief Insights Officer, National Audit Office
• Sarah Scobie, Deputy Director of Research, Nuffield Trust

GSS leads: Richard Heys, Deputy Chief Economist, Office for National Statistics and Chris Roebuck, Head of Profession for Statistics, NHS England   

Breakout 7: Data linkage

Room: 201

Question: What are the levers needed to enable better data sharing and linkage? How should the statistics system communicate with and involve the public on the ethical issues around the extent of data sharing and linking?

Description: Sharing existing data across organisations and linking data together enables quicker and more extensive analysis without additional data collection. However, it also raises technical issues on data matching, ease of access and software usage and ethical questions about use of personal data.

Facilitator: Philippa Bonay, Director for Operations, Office for National Statistics

Discussants:

• Sam Smith, Coordinator, medConfidential
• Dr Emma Gordon, Director, ADR UK, Economic and Social Research Council
• Cassie Smith, Head of Legal, Trust and Ethics, HDR UK

GSS lead: Fiona James, Director of Data Growth and Operations and Chief Data Officer, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 8: Net zero

Room: 204

Question: How can we best bring net zero-related official statistics together to tell a coherent and complete story at national and local level?

Description: Understanding the UK’s progress towards net zero is likely to be a key requirement in coming years. It is important to ensure the most coherent statistics are produced.

Facilitator: Jill Leyland, Royal Statistical Society

Discussants:

• Cathy Maguire, Head of Assessments, Office for Environmental Protection
• Aidan O’Sullivan, Associate Professor in Energy and Artificial Intelligence, UCL Energy Institute

GSS leads: Jane Chandler, Head of Statistics Profession, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Ian Townsend, Deputy Director for Environmental Statistics, Office for National Statistics

Breakout 9: Future of the Census

Room: Main hall

Question: What are the essential quality considerations for the future population and migration statistics system to deliver sustainable, timely statistics about the population?

Description: ONS is leading and delivering a programme of research to improve its population and migration statistics. The proposed system, which has administrative data at its core, should enable ONS to produce statistics to meet user needs about the population more frequently and consistently than a traditional census. This is an opportunity to understand and discuss the proposals.

Facilitator: Dr Rita Gardner, Chief Executive, Academy of Social Sciences

Discussants:

• Ruth Studley, Director of Population Transformation, Office for National Statistics
• Dr Philip Wales, Chief Executive and Registrar General, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
• Jon Wroth-Smith, Director of Census Statistics, National Records of Scotland
• Stephanie Howarth, Chief Statistician, Welsh Government
• Professor Oliver Duke-Williams, Professor of Population Information in the Department of Information Studies, University College London
• Emma White, Director of Information Governance, City St George’s, University of London

GSS lead: Mary Gregory, Director of Population Statistics, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 10: Business statistics

Room: 205

Question: What data gaps are there in business statistics, for example representation of ethnic minorities, small businesses and more?

Description: Robust business statistics are needed to inform a wealth of policy and plans, in areas such as growth, net zero and green jobs, investment, sector-specific support and supply chain analysis.

Facilitator: David Bharier, Head of Research, British Chambers of Commerce

Discussants:

• Simon Howard, Associate, Better Statistics CIC
• Alex Waddington, Assistant Director, Microeconomics Unit, Competition and Markets Authority
• Anna Leach, Chief Economist, Institute of Directors

GSS leads: Jane Naylor, Head of Statistics Profession, Department for Business and Trade and Kate Davies, Director of Business Surveys, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout session C: 13:50 to 14:50

Breakout 11: Equalities

Room: 202/203

Question: What statistics are needed to monitor equalities, in particular ethnicity? What data collection mechanisms are needed to better address representation and diversity?

Description: Equalities monitoring is conducted across a wide range of areas of society such as education, health and business. To be effective, robust and inclusive data collection methods are needed.

Facilitator: Lincoln Blair, Deputy Director, Strategy and Organisational Effectiveness, People and Business Services, Office for National Statistics

Discussants:

• Aleks Collingwood, Partnership Insight Manager – Insight and Infrastructure Team, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Jabeer Butt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
• Dr Celestin Okoroji, Co-Director, Just Knowledge

GSS leads: Richard Laux, Head of Statistics Profession, Equalities Hub, Cabinet Office and Fiona Dawe, Deputy Director, Characteristics and Inclusion Division, Office for National Statistics

Breakout 12: AI and technology

Room: Main hall

Question: What are the choices that we should make about the ways in which the UK official statistics system adopts (or does not adopt) AI and other emerging technologies over the coming years?

Description: New data-driven technologies, such as AI, are already impacting on official statistics and users, changing the ways in which statistics are produced, communicated and used. The pace of development and adoption of such technologies is expected to continue to accelerate.

Facilitator: Ben Henshall, Deputy Director, Data Science and AI, Number 10

Discussants:

• Donna Phillips, Head of Strategic Analysis, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office and chair of the Royal Statistical Society’s AI Taskforce
• Douglas Cameron, Head of Statistics, Ofcom
• Professor David Spiegelhalter, Emeritus Professor of Statistics in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge

GSS lead: Owen Daniel, Deputy Director, Applied Data Science, Office for National Statistics

Breakout 13: Crime

Room: 204

Question: Is there anything a single crime measure could add to better inform decision-makers and the public?

Description: Given the forever changing nature of crime and its impact on victims, official statistics are produced by separate crime types, with a number of programmes looking to improve these measures.

Facilitator: Scott Heald, Director of Data and Digital Innovation and Head of Profession for Statistics in Public Health Scotland, and Vice-President for External Affairs, Royal Statistical Society

Discussants:

• Professor Andromachi Tseloni, Professor of Quantitative Criminology, Nottingham Trent University
• Tom Calver, Data Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times
• Dr Elizabeth Webb, Head of Research, Age UK

GSS lead: John Marais, Deputy Director Crime, Income and Wealth Division, Office for National Statistics 

Breakout 14: Labour market

Room: 205

Question: How can labour market statistics measure the future labour market by best using surveys, administrative data and other data sources?

Description: Response rates to social surveys are falling internationally raising the discussion about whether mandating survey completion would be effective. This is happening at the same time as new data sources are becoming available and changes to the labour market itself with the growth of the ‘gig economy’ and concerns about the impact of economic inactivity.

Facilitator: Jill Leyland, Royal Statistical Society

Discussants:

• Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics, King’s College London
• Geoff Tily, Senior Economist, Trades Union Congress
• Nye Cominetti, Principal Economist, Resolution Foundation

GSS lead: Liz McKeown, Director of Economic Statistics Production and Analysis, Office for National Statistics  

Breakout 15: Local and regional data

Room: 201

Question: How can national data and statistics benefit local and combined authorities, and local data benefit national policymaking? What does the statistics system need to do to support organisations in achieving this?

Description: Local and combined authorities have a wealth of data that could be used outside their own organisations, while national data and statistical sources offer huge potential for understanding local areas. What changes to systems, culture and support are needed to harness these benefits?

Facilitator: Professor Alison Park, Deputy Executive Chair, Economic and Social Research Council

Discussants:

• Ben Corr, Demography and City Modelling Manager, Greater London Authority
• Pippa Williams, Senior Analyst – Assistant Chief Executive, Westmorland and Furness Council
• Lucy Woodbine, Principal, Planning and Housing Research, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

GSS lead: Becky Tinsley, Deputy Director of ONS Local and Coherence, Office for National Statistics