System Overview
The UK statistical system has five essential features which distinguish it from many other National Statistical Institutes across the world (or NSIs, to use the European terminology).
Centralisation
The UK system is both centralised and, conversely, decentralised. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) stands at both the apex and the centre of the system as it is the UK Government's single largest statistical producer, and functions as:
(i) the UK Statistics Authority's executive office
(ii) the National Statistician's office
(iii) the UK's National Statistics Institute (NSI); and
(iv) the 'Head Office' of the Government Statistical Service (GSS)
The GSS is an umbrella body. It binds together most of the distinct government organisations and employees in the UK who are responsible for producing government statistics. This community is managed by a network of Heads of Profession for Statistics (HoPs) in each department, who are professionally accountable to the National Statistician acting in her capacity as the Head of the GSS. ONS sets statistical policy and professional standards for the GSS, co-ordinates statistical production across the UK system, and itself delivers many of the UK's key economic and social statistics.
Decentralisation
The UK system is also highly decentralised - a feature which is often described as both its strength (as it keeps statisticians close to their policy customers and maintains statistical expertise across government) and its weakness (because it can create conflicts of loyalty). More than 80 per cent of all professional statisticians in the GSS work alongside their policy colleagues in the 38 other government departments affiliated to the GSS. And about four-fifths of all official statistics designated as 'National Statistics' (see below) are produced by statisticians working outside ONS in other government departments.
Devolution
Under the terms of the government's 1998 devolution settlement, responsibility for the production of statistics relating to Scotland and Wales passed to the devolved administrations for each country - but only for policy areas for which they had devolved policy responsibility. This requires additional governance mechanisms to ensure an appropriate balance between the delivery of coherent and comparable statistics across the UK, whilst simultaneously ensuring the availability of statistics which reflect local circumstances, and meet local needs. The arrangements for ensuring coherence between statistics produced by the UK Government and statistics produced by the three devolved administations are set out in the 'Statistics Concordat' which was agreed between the UK Government and the devolved administrations in 2001.
Globalisation
The UK joined the European Union in 1973 and, like other European NSIs, has been a major partner in the European Statistical System (ESS). As Britain is a leading member of the Commonwealth, the GSS is also a major player in the international statistical arena. The long-standing provision of technical assistance to the statistical offices of developing countries and, more recently, to the EU's new member states forms a major part in the work of the Department for International Development's statistical division (one of the 38 organisations affiliated to the GSS).
The 'National Statistics' system
This feature was originally introduced by the 'Framework for National Statistics', published in June 2000. The aim of this Framework was to enhance public trust and confidence in official statistics by making the UK statistical system more independent. It launched a number of major innovations which, in one form or another, have been retained within the 'Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007'. These include a new post (the National Statistician), a new monitoring body (the Statistics Commission), and a new code (the 'National Statistics Code of Practice'). In addition it includes a new concept - 'National Statistics' - defined as statistics produced in accordance with the governance arrangements set out in the Framework document, and conforming to the standards, principles and procedures set out in the 'National Statistics Code of Practice'.
For a timeline of the key dates and events which have shaped the UK statistical system, please see related link 'History'.
The full timeline of events is also available to download.
For background information on the UK statistical system, please see related link 'Legislative background'.
