Authority Diary - May 2009
Following the Authority’s evidence to the House of Commons Public Administration Committee in March regarding the publication by the Office for National Statistics of migration and workforce statistics in February, the Authority wrote to the Committee’s chair, Dr. Tony Wright MP, on 8 May. In the letter, the Authority confirmed that it had reviewed the publication of migration statistics and did not see it necessary to add further to its Monitoring and Assessment Note regarding the 11 February release of labour market statistics. During May, the Authority engaged in correspondence following representations by the Football Supporters Federation regarding statistics on football spectator safety. Relevant correspondence is available on the Authority’s website under Reports and Correspondence > Correspondence.
The Public Administration Select Committee visited the Newport site of the Office for National Statistics on 11 May. Members of the Committee met with the National Statistician, Karen Dunnell, and senior ONS executives, followed by a short visit to meet staff working in the ONS survey forms processing centre.
The Chair of the Authority, Sir Michael Scholar, accompanied by the National Statistician visited the Ministry of Defence at the end of April and the Department for Energy and Climate Change on 19 May. During both visits, Sir Michael and Karen met with the departmental heads of profession for statistics and statisticians working in the department to discuss the work of the Authority and issues of common interest.
The Authority Board met in London on 15 May. The Authority received a report from the National Statistician’s task force on the use of administrative data, chaired by David Frazer, the Head of Profession for Statistics at the Department for Work and Pensions. The Authority discussed preparations for the publication of its first annual report for the year 2008-09, and received a progress report on the Assessment programme and plans for future Authority Monitoring Reports. The Board reviewed an analysis of issues raised with the Authority during 2008-09 as well as discussing indicators of Authority performance against its objectives.
The Committee for Official Statistics met in London on 19 May. The Committee is chaired by Professor Sir Roger Jowell, the Authority’s Deputy Chair (Statistical System). It is one of several committees of the Authority Board, and its remit is to advise the Authority in its regulatory role in relation to the UK’s official statistics system as a whole. Proposals to streamline the process of Assessment and the need to a National Address Register were discussed. The Committee agreed to establish a working party to further develop Authority engagement with the GSS.
The minutes and papers from the May Authority Board and Committee for Official Statistics meetings will be published on the Authority website in due course. Minutes and papers of the April Board and previous meetings of the Board and Committee for Official Statistics are published on the website on the About the Authority > Board and committee documentation pages.
If you have any questions about the work of the UK Statistics Authority, or if you have any comments or issues that you want to raise with us, please email authority.enquiries@statistics.gov.uk, write to us at: Statistics House, Myddelton Street, London EC1R 1UW, or telephone our enquiry line on 0845 604 1857.
Next issue of Authority Diary: 29 June 2009
