Dear Ian
Assessment of statistics from the People and Nature Survey for England
We have completed our assessment of statistics from the People and Nature Survey (PaNS) for England produced by Natural England. I am grateful for the positive contribution and engagement from your team throughout the assessment process.
Our assessment found that the statistics are valued by a range of users and provide helpful insight into people’s interactions with the natural environment and its impact on well-being, with several welcome developments in the pipeline to enhance the value and quality of the statistical outputs further.
We have identified several ways that the statistics should be strengthened further to improve the overall quality and value of them. Our recommendations focus on the communication of development plans and engagement with users, coherence work to understand the similarities and differences between PaNS and the other UK countries’ engagement with nature surveys; and helping users understand the differences between the PaNS and its predecessor the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE).
We judge that the statistics from the People and Nature Survey for England can be designated as National Statistics once we have confirmed that the requirements set out in the report have been met. Addressing the requirements will demonstrate that your statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value and comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
I am copying this letter to Lindsey Clothier, Deputy Head of Profession for Statistics at DEFRA, and to the team at Natural England – Tom Marshall, Caitlin Clark, Amy Greenwood, and Sergio Milheiras.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Related links:
Ian Lonsdale to Ed Humpherson: Request for assessment – People and Nature Survey for England (June 2022)
Ed Humpherson to Ian Lonsdale: Response to request for assessment – People and Nature Survey for England (July 2022)
Ian Lonsdale to Ed Humpherson: Response to the Assessment of statistics from the People and Nature Survey for England (January 2023)