Meet NSCASE

In its majority, the National Statistician’s Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE) consists of independent members. The range of expertise and experience of members allows for independent challenge and scrutiny, ensuring advice is impartial and credible.

Martin Weale is Professor of Economics at King’s College London. Martin graduated in 1977 in Economics from Clare College, Cambridge. Martin is an applied economist with an interest in macro-economic and micro-economic problems. He was Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee from 2010 to 2016. Martin is a member of the Office for National Statistic’s Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) and the Economic Experts Working Group (EEWG). Martin is currently developing work on democratic measures of economic performance.

Robert Heath is a former Deputy Director of the IMF Statistics Department responsible for methodological development in economic statistics, overseeing the publication of IMF statistical manuals and guides including the 6th edition of the Balance of Payments Manual and Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014.

David Caplan is a statistician with extensive experience of the production and use of economic statistics. In the first half of his career, he held a range of posts within the ONS including multiple roles in the national accounts. David then moved on to a range of senior posts including Director of Research and Analysis at the Audit Commission, and, most recently, Head of the Essex Centre for Data Analytics. He also co-founded an economics consultancy.

Paul Mizen is Professor of Monetary Economics at the University of Nottingham where he leads research into use of economic statistics to support policy making at the Bank of England, COBRA, the Cabinet Office, 10 Downing St and various Government Departments; he is an ONS Fellow, member of the Economic Experts Working Group and the Office for National Statistic’s Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE).

Ian McCafferty is an international economist with senior management experience working in government, business and higher education. He has expertise in public policy-making, financial markets, economic analysis and forecasting. Ian McCafferty was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England from 2012 to 2018. Prior to his appointment, he had been Chief Economic Adviser to the CBI since 2001, following a career as an economist in senior roles in BP and the City. He is currently senior adviser to London Wall Partners, a firm of independent financial advisors, a Senior Adviser to Oxford Economics, and a Visiting Professor at King’s College, London.

Rebecca Riley is Professor of Practice in Economics at King’s Business School. Rebecca is Director of the Office for National Statistic’s Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) and is an applied economist focusing on labour markets, industrial organisation, and economic measurement.

Mairi Spowage is Professor of Practice and Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, based in the Department of Economics at the University of Strathclyde. Mairi’s areas of expertise include economic policy, economic statistics, national accounting, public sector finances, and economic and fiscal forecasting.

Nick Vaughan is a macroeconomist working on innovative finance for development with the Education Commission. Prior to this independent role Nick was Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of Jersey, and previously Chief Economist, and Director for National Accounts and Economic Statistics at the Office for National Statistics 2014-2018 where he led the transformation of economic statistics through the ‘Bean’ review and subsequent development.

Thomas Viegas is currently Partnerships Lead at the Task force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Prior to joining TNFD, Thomas was at the Bank of England where he spent nearly a decade working on and influencing a broad range of UK and global macro-financial policy issues. This included, leading the Bank’s initial approach and strategy to nature-related financial risks. Thomas was also seconded as an Economic Adviser to The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, based at the UK’s Finance Ministry (HMT).