Introduction

This page is available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

This Scheme describes how the UK Statistics Authority, including its executive arm, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and regulatory arm to the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), will give effect, so far as is both appropriate in the circumstances and reasonably practicable, to the principle established by the Welsh Language Act 1993 that, in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice in Wales, the Welsh and English languages should be treated on a basis of equality.

All information provided in this scheme is relevant to services we provide to the public in Wales, regardless of the location of staff or teams carrying out the work.

In this scheme, the term public means individuals, legal persons and corporate bodies. It includes the public as a whole, or a section of the public, as well as individual members of the public. The term includes voluntary organisations and charities. Directors and others representing limited companies are also within the meaning of the term ‘public’. It does not, however, include persons who are acting in a capacity which is representative of the Crown, Government or State. Consequently, persons who fulfil official functions of a public nature, even though they are legal persons, do not come within the meaning of the word public when they are fulfilling those official functions.

Further information about the scope and purpose of Welsh language schemes can be found in the Welsh Language Commissioner’s guidelines.

This scheme was prepared under Section 21 of the Welsh Language Act 1993 in accordance with guidelines issued by the Welsh Language Commissioner under Section 9 of the Act. Our previous scheme came into effect in December 2007. This amended scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner on 5 October 2023.

Background to the organisation

The UK Statistics Authority is an independent statutory body operating at arm’s length from government as a non-ministerial department and reports directly to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Authority has a statutory objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that ‘serve the public good’.

The Office for National Statistics is the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and its recognised national statistical institute. It is responsible for collecting and publishing statistics related to the economy, population and society at national, regional and local levels.

The Office for Statistics Regulation is the Authority’s independent regulatory function. With offices in England, Scotland and Wales, it provides independent regulation of all official statistics produced in the UK, and aims to enhance public confidence in the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics produced by government as set out in the standards defined in the Code of Practice for Statistics.