Next meeting: 27 November 2025, London Boardroom

Members present

• Penny Young (Chair)
• Dr Jacob Abboud
• Peter Barron
• Ed Humpherson
• Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter
• Professor Mairi Spowage
• Professor Dame Carol Propper
• Emma Rourke
• Darren Tierney
• Dr Sarah Walsh

Other attendees

• June Bowman
• Sarah Moore
• Tom Taylor
• Stephanie Howarth (for item 9)
• Alastair McAlpine (for item 9)
• Henry Watson (for item 11)

Secretariat

• Sally Jones
• Sarah Cobden

Apologies

• James Benford

1. Apologies

1. Apologies were noted from James Benford.

2. Declarations of Interest

1. There were no new declarations of interest.

3. Minutes and matters arising from previous meetings

1. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 September 2025 were approved.

4. Report from the Authority Chair [SA(25)51]

1. The Chair reported on her activities since the Board last met. The Chair had met the Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary, Josh Simons MP, who was the Authority’s new sponsoring Minister at the Cabinet office. The discussion covered the progress of ONS’s recovery. The Chair alongside June Bowman, Director of Policy and Strategy had met the potential lead reviewer for the upcoming external review of Board effectiveness.

5. Report from the Permanent Secretary [SA(25)52]

1. Darren Tierney provided the Board with an overview of activity and issues since the last meeting highlighting the following:
   1. the Permanent Secretary alongside the Acting National Statistician had met Minister Josh Simons MP on 27 October;
   2. regarding the senior leadership team, interviews for the ONS Executive Director of Population Statistics and Census were scheduled later in the month; a recruitment process would be undertaken for a new ONS Director General for Digital, Data and Technology; and the advert for an ONS Director for Strategy and Change was live;
   3. Pete Benton’s role would focus on mapping out how the organisation can best contribute to advancing data and digital innovation across government including such initiatives as the National Data Library and Digital ID scheme;
   4. changes to ONS’s executive governance framework were being made. The Executive Committee (ExCo) would continue as the most senior decision-making forum in ONS focusing on strategic issues underpinned by establishment of three ExCo subcommittees aligned to the Permanent Secretary’s priorities for ONS recovery;
   5. following the Spending Review 2025 three year settlement ONS would be undertaking a business planning cycle for a three year period. Work had already commenced with a business planning discussion with all directors. A subgroup of directors were working to develop strategic objectives;
   6. delivery progress of ONS’s recovery plans was ongoing. The Economic Statistics Plan had established a baseline view of delivery confidence across its portfolio;
   7. there had been a number of errors and revisions across the economic statistics portfolio including an error relating to the application for retail sales, which had been corrected and a blog published explaining the error. The correction of an error, relating to the compilation of Value Added Tax receipts by HM Revenue and Customs that feed into Public Sector finances had also been accompanied by an explanatory blog; and
   8. the Census 2031 Business Case was being developed in line with the agreed timeline to submit to HM Treasury in the coming months.
2. Members discussed the update noting support for the changes being made to the executive governance framework and that it would be helpful for the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee to discuss the changes. It was noted that the digital delivery framework would input into the strategic design subcommittee being chaired by James Benford. The Board heard that cultural behaviours, specifically around trust, amongst the Senior Civil Service cadre was a key area of focus for the Permanent Secretary. Separately with regard to ExCo the Permanent Secretary was looking to bring in an external coach to review and provide feedback on how it was working and where it could be more effective as well as how the members could best work together. The prioritisation process by ExCo was near completion and next steps would include engagement with users.

6. Report from the National Statistician [SA(25)53]

1. Emma Rourke provided the Board with an overview of activity and issues since the last meeting highlighting the following:
   1. the National Statistician had been approached regarding intervention in the production of statistics. In addition Penny Young would write to Ministers on publication of the Code of Practice for Statistics 3.0 to reiterate the importance of independence. This was a key area of focus for Emma Rourke. Departmental Directors of Analysis were empowered to highlight issues with the National Statistician as needed;
   2. Emma had visited National Records Scotland on 29 October. Areas of discussion had included Census 2031, the use of administrative data and digital ID, which would all be areas of discussion for the new Board subcommittee – Population Statistics System Committee; and
   3. the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies were meeting regularly regarding pandemic preparedness and exercise Pegasus, (the national tier one pandemic preparedness exercise), at which the need for statistics and capability was noted.
2. Members discussed the update and noted that it was good that the Integrated Data Service would help inform the approach to the National Data Library (NDL). In addition, the whole federation of Trusted Research Environments would help inform the approach. The closure of the IDS to users outside of ONS, and the ongoing need for a collaborative research platform with access to linked data, continued to be talking points across the Government Statistical Service (GSS). The recent meeting of the National Statistics Executive Group had considered an update on the NDL and the issues around data sharing.

7. Report from the Director General for Regulation [SA(25)54]

1. Ed Humpherson provided an overview of regulatory activities since the last meeting. Following approval by the Board the refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics would be published on 30 October and formally launched at the beginning of November, accompanied by a series of events across the four nations and online learning seminars for statistical producers. Ed Humpherson had delivered a keynote talk at the 65^th International Statistical Institute World Statistics Conference earlier in the month.
2. The Board heard that OSR had been developing a strategy for 2026-2029, which had been discussed and approved by the Regulation Committee at its recent meeting. The aim was to publish a final version in November. The strategy set out that OSR would focus on four strategic themes: Credible and Rigorous Regulator; System Catalyst; Champion of Analytical Evidence; and Enhance our Own Trustworthiness Quality and Value.
3. OSR had written to ONS to confirm the reaccreditation of domestic abuse statistics from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. With regard to casework a letter had been sent by Professor Dame Carol Propper to Seamus Logan MP about water pollution.
4. Members discussed the update and provided feedback on OSR’s strategy. The reference to OSR as a credible and rigorous regulator could be reframed along the lines – OSR continued to be a credible and rigorous regulator. Under the catalyst theme more could be made of OSR’s relationship with the National Statistician. Data sharing could be referenced as an issue earlier in the document.

8. Report from the Chair of Regulation Committee

1. The Chair reported on the work of the Regulation Committee which had last met on 16 October.
2. The Committee had considered:
   1. the draft report on Intelligent Transparency and approved the report and plans for publication;
   2. OSR’s draft strategy document ahead of consideration by the Board at this meeting;
   3. the re-accreditation of ONS domestic abuse statistics following OSR’s review; and
   4. the re-accreditation of Northern Ireland’s Tourism Statistics.
3. Non-Executive members of the Regulation Committee had met OSR colleagues and separately with Government Statistics Service Heads of Profession.

9. Strengthening Coherence and the UK Statistical System [SA(25)55]

1. Stephanie Howarth and Alastair McAlpine introduced a paper which provided an update on plans to improve the coherence of UK-wide statistical production, respond to the Office for Statistics Regulation report on the adequacy of UK-wide data, and Cabinet Office’s plans for a detailed response to recommendation five of the Lievesley review.
2. The Board heard about the purpose and benefits of coherence to inform policy decision making across the UK. A lack of coherence reduces the quality of decision making. Existing areas of work are dedicated to improving the coherence of UK-wide statistics and developing a more UK wide statistical system. These include the work of the Inter Administration Committee and the UK Census Committee, GSS Harmonisation and the GSS coherence work programme.
3. Members discussed the update. The following points were made in discussion:
   1. there was support for greater Board engagement to raise the visibility of work that supports a more efficient system and greater coherence/comparability across the UK;
   2. an acknowledgement that the comparability of official statistics should not be reduced to league tables;
   3. the challenges and barriers to effective collaboration across the UK statistical system, which was evidenced by the Integrated Data Service in relation to data sharing. Systemic issues such as data sharing and shared resourcing constraints were barriers to success. An appropriately prioritised approach and the right legal basis would help enable efficient data sharing;
   4. coherence and barriers to data sharing would be a key focus for the National Statistician with the need for clear success criteria;
   5. OSR’s systemic review on the Adequacy of UK-wide comparable statistics and data published in June 2025 supported by the work by the Fraser of Allander Institute sets out the recommendations that would help resolve this complex issue; and
   6. understanding user needs and considering a public good lens for UK-wide comparable statistics and data. Political and societal user needs were also relevant.
4. The Board welcomed the discussion and it was agreed that Chief Statisticians would be invited to attend Board regularly to discuss system wide issues and those areas the Board could support with. The incoming Chair’s annual lecture would also provide the opportunity to cover system wide issues.

10. National Statistician and ONS Permanent Secretary and Division of Roles and Responsibilities [SA(25)56]

1. The Chair facilitated a discussion on the implications of the division of roles and responsibilities between the National Statistician and ONS Permanent Secretary.
2. The Devereux Review concluded in June 2025 and produced three core recommendations on ONS delivery, leadership and governance. It recommended the splitting (at least temporarily), of the role of the National Statistician (NS) role to create two Permanent Secretary level roles the National Statistician and a new ONS Permanent Secretary post that would lead ONS’s operational delivery.
3. A significant proportion of the responsibilities had been tied down, and reflected the new day-to-day practice since the arrival of the new Permanent Secretary. The ONS Permanent Secretary was responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation, including leading ONS’s organisational transformation. As Chair of the Executive Committee (ExCo) they would set the strategic direction of ONS, in consultation with the National Statistician and the UK Statistics Authority Board. The Permanent Secretary, as Accounting Officer for ONS, was accountable for regularity of expenditure, ensuring value for money, delivery of ONS’s functions and performance. They would also be responsible for the production of ONS outputs supported by the ONS HoP for Statistics.
4. The National Statistician would remain the Principal Adviser on statistical matters to the Authority Board as well as to Ministers and Parliament, acting as the public face of UK statistics. Although under legislation this function cannot be delegated to an interim. In providing advice, the National Statistician would draw on the senior statisticians within ONS and across GSS, as well as the National Statistician’s Advisory Committees across which they would provide strategic leadership. The National Statistician would remain head of the GSS and the Analysis Function with a focus on developing skills. The National Statistician would also provide international leadership, fronting the UK’s representation in international statistical fora and negotiations, collaborating across government and supporting subject matter experts to maximise impact and shaping international standards in support of UK interests. It was recognised that senior leaders in ONS/GSS would continue to engage and where appropriate deputise. The National Statistician role would focus on system-wide strategic leadership and areas of challenge and strategic importance such as data sharing and coherence This also included promoting shared standards and methodologies to support high quality analysis, joined-up government and evidence-based decision-making.
5. The aim of this Board discussion was to discuss and provide feedback to inform a Memorandum of Understanding that was being developed to specify ways of working and outline the division of responsibilities in more detail. One unresolved issue was the nature of the interface between the National Statistician and ONS; and how this should compare to other GSS departments. Three models were discussed: National Statistician as ambassador and system wide leader; National Statistician as independent office with a larger team resourced for both methodological work and priority/crisis or cross cutting analytical work; or National Statistician as chief methodologist within a National Statistics Institute (combined with system wide leadership).
6. Members discussed the update. The following points were made in discussion:
   1. the importance of the National Statistician role and the opportunity of having the bandwidth to provide system wide leadership and focus on system wide issues;
   2. the risks and opportunities associated with a centralised methodological team outside of ONS in the National Statistician’s Office. Specifically, the need for clear separation between the National Statistician’s office and ONS methodology in terms of focus, while recognising the importance of working well together, sharing best practice, and building trust;
   3. the value of feedback from the GSS and Chairs of the National Statistician Advisory Committees, before finalising the MoU;
   4. comparison with other models such as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) and their impact. The National Statistician could be supported by an appropriate but modest expert team to deliver on critical and cross cutting issues; and as statistical advisor to government;
   5. the need for clarity in the MoU that the National Statistician was not responsible for statistical production;
   6. the potential for the National Statistician to become the recipient for OSR recommendations on system wide issues with both the National Statistician and the OSR having an ambassador role;
   7. the need to ensure the MoU took account of the whole UKSA system and referenced OSR where appropriate;
   8. the potential for some form of National Statistician Quality Reviews to be undertaken; and
   9. consideration of resource requirements for the National Statistician and the potential for the National Statistician to seek external funding from other government departments or ad hoc funding for specific work as well, such as the development of data linkage.
7. The Board noted the progress made to date on clarifying responsibilities with further work to be done. The model similar to the CMO/CSA had the potential to work for the National Statistician supported by a modest but highly impactful expert team. Further work would be undertaken and the details formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Board, the National Statistician, the Permanent Secretary and the Director General for Regulation to ensure roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability are clear to all. Input would be sought from both Deputy HoPs and some National Statistician Advisory Group Chairs to feed into the MoU. There was a sequencing point for the development of the MoU to align with the recruitment of the National Statistician, while acknowledging that it would need to iterate over time.

11. People Plan [SA(25)57]

1. Henry Watson introduced a paper which outlined the approach to improving the employee experience and capability across the organisation in the short-medium term. The high level plan was structured around six key themes: senior appointments and leadership development; office attendance; pay and reward; performance management; skills and learning; and engagement and culture. A longer term plan would be required and would be developed in consultation with the Executive Committee. It was noted that the People Plan would underpin the strategic people risk.
2. The Board heard that ExCo had endorsed a refreshed approach, led by senior leaders role modelling through their own office attendance. Negotiations with the unions were ongoing to find a resolution to the current disputes. A refreshed approach was being taken for managing performance within the Senior Civil Service, which would help address issues of accountability and focus on consistency and impact.
3. Members discussed the update. It was noted that the aim of the People Plan was to address the cultural issue around a lack of trust amongst colleagues, which would be a key area of focus. The Permanent Secretary would be holding monthly meetings with the Grade 6 and Grade 7 cadre to provide the opportunity for direct engagement. It was noted that the planned work on skills capture later in the year would help inform an understanding of the ONS current skills profile.
4. The Board noted the plan and agreed that the culture of an organisation reflects the behaviours and values of its most senior leaders, and that it is important to foster trust across boundaries when organisations encounter challenges

12. ONS Turnaround Communications Strategy [SA(25)58]

1. Sarah Moore and Peter Barron introduced the strategy and the summary of media and stakeholder sentiment towards the ONS for September and early October.
2. The Board heard that the success of the communications strategy was aligned to the organisation’s progress on improvements and delivery. The objectives were to influence the external narrative positively; increase stakeholder support; maintain public trust; and improve internal communications with an increase in colleague understanding of ONS priorities and confidence in ONS leaders.
3. The Board welcomed the communications strategy and highlighted the need to focus on those strategic risks currently outside of risk appetite given potential to lead to reputational damage.

13. Any other business

1. The Board briefly discussed the announcement of Digital ID Scheme; and the previous approach to media lock-in briefings.
2. The Authority Board would next meet on 27 November 2025.