Dear Alastair,

Thank you for sharing that the internal review on Scotland’s Census 2022 is complete and has now been published. I am pleased to hear that you and your team have taken the opportunity to build on our suggestions highlighted in our 2019 and 2023 Assessment reports to reflect and learn lessons from your experience.

I welcome your commitment to assure that leadership and statistical decisions in Scotland are made with appropriate oversight and seniority. Your restructure of the Office of the Chief Statistician and the roll-out of leadership training should help in providing those assurances.

Your intention to publish an assessment of how you intend to meet the recommendations and invite the ScotStat board to scrutinise progress made is a good way forward to build trust and confidence in any decisions made. I look forward to seeing how all the recommendations are considered and progressed in the future.

Yours sincerely

Ed Humpherson
Director General for OSR

Related links: Alastair McAlpine to Ed Humpherson: Developing a modern statistical system – A review of Scotland’s Census 2022