UK Statistics Authority

The UK Statistics Authority, in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society, is pleased to invite statistical users, producers and regulatory representatives to the inaugural UK Statistics Assembly on Wednesday 22 January 2025. Formed in response to a recommendation in the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority, the Assembly is a unique opportunity for a diverse range of voices and views, including from central, local and devolved governments, business and industry, academia, civil society and charities to come together to discuss and advise us on statistical priorities, user needs and gaps for the country. Visit our website to find out how to register and complete the call for contributions ⬇

📢 We invite you to share your priorities for the statistical system! It's important that the UK Statistics Assembly discussions are informed by a range of user perspectives. Therefore, ahead of the event we invite you to share your: - suggestions for agenda discussion items and presenters  - examples of statistical and data priorities, gaps, and public and user needs  - ideas for other cross-cutting areas for the Assembly to consider, such as data sharing and technology Your ideas can help to shape the event agenda and thematic discussions. Your views will also be used to inform the development of the next UK Statistics Authority strategy. We welcome contributions whether you are able to attend the event or not. Please complete our Call for Contributions by the deadline 3 November⬇ https://lnkd.in/eUD_8Duj

National Statistician, Sir Ian Diamond, has today signed an arrangement with Mariana Kotzeva, marking the start of a new era of statistical cooperation between the Office for National Statistics and Eurostat. Find out more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed89_6T6

“Sometimes, our agreed international System of National Accounts may not help us consider key policy questions in an integrated way. Why does £100 million of spending on artificial intelligence count as investment when £100 million of spending on education, actual intelligence, does not?” Last month our Chair, Sir Robert Chote, gave a keynote speech at the 38th International Association for Research in Income and Wealth General Conference in partnership with Office for National Statistics and Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE), about how we fundamentally measure the economy and what’s set to change in 2025. Read his full speech on our website⬇ https://lnkd.in/ef2TyzRY

There is huge unrealised potential in securely linking and analysing data held across different parts of government, writes our Chair, Sir Robert Chote.   "The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the UK’s statistics watchdog and part of the UK Statistics Authority, highlights this issue in its 2024 state of the statistical system report. Encouragingly, it found that statisticians across the official system are already linking and using administrative data extensively and imaginatively to respond to new and complex questions posed by government and society. But it saw several barriers to using this critical national asset as effectively as it could."   "Data sharing across government should be the rule, rather than the exception. But given the perceived risks, robust political leadership is vital to make this happen."

We're pleased to announce the opening session for the IARIW General Conference in August at King's Business School. This session is organised by ESCoE. First we'll hear from Sir Robert Chote (Chair of the UK Statistics Authority ) with a keynote talk on the emerging System of National Accounts 2025. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the theme with Richard Heys (Office for National Statistics), Catherine Van Rompaey (The World Bank) and Martin Weale (King's College London and ESCoE). The discussion will be chaired by Kevin Fox (UNSW and ESCoE). Conference registrations close this Sunday 11 August. Find out more and register. ➡ https://lnkd.in/e85iuPaT #Conference #Income #Wealth

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Campion Award for Excellence in Official Statistics! Our Chair was delighted to meet teams highly commended for their innovative work across the statistical system. Congratulations also to the winners of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which was recognised by the Office for Statistics Regulation for its exemplary voluntary application of the Code of Practice for Statistics. https://lnkd.in/en6fWb4D

Today, Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, has written to leaders of political parties to ask that their parties and candidates use statistics appropriately and transparently. The Office for Statistics Regulation, the regulatory arm of the Authority, has been campaigning to encourage ‘intelligent transparency’, and make sure that statistical claims and statements are based on data to which everyone has equal access, are clearly and transparently defined, and for which there is appropriate acknowledgement of any uncertainties and context that people need to be aware of if they are realistically to interpret what they mean. Sir Robert Chote said: “We believe official statistics should serve the public good. This means that when statistics and quantitative claims are used in public debate, they should enhance understanding of the topics being debated and not be used in a way that has the potential to mislead.” Sir Robert’s letter is published in full on the Authority website. It was sent to leaders of all political parties represented in the House of Commons upon its dissolution on Thursday 30 May 2024. The former Chair of the Authority, Sir David Norgrove, wrote to party leaders ahead of the 2019 and 2017 General Elections. https://lnkd.in/ecG68Rr8

Today the Authority welcomes a report by National Centre for Social Research which shows that official statistics continue to enjoy a strong reputation. Full results are available in the report: https://lnkd.in/g6ypS2nX Trust in Office for National Statistics and its statistics among survey respondents continued at the high levels seen in prior years. Although respondents said they knew the UK Statistics Authority less well than the ONS, those who gave a view overwhelmingly supported our role in ensuring official statistics are free from political interference and speaking out against misuse. Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said: “While this is just one source of information about how people view the statistical system, it's reassuring that trust has remained consistently high over time among those who respond, although we shouldn’t be surprised if we see some change next year given the challenges the system has had to confront in more recent months. “As recommended by the recent independent review of the Authority, later this year we (together with the Royal Statistical Society) will convene a Statistical Assembly of producers, users and stakeholders, to explore how we can best serve the public good over the next three years.” Office for Statistics Regulation

In our latest blog we set out the guidance and support available for navigating statistics during an election campaign, and our role in publicly highlighting cases where statistics and data are not published, or are presented in a misleading way 👉 https://lnkd.in/eGpqzU2z