Dear Ken
CONFIRMATION OF NATIONAL STATISTICS DESIGNATION FOR DEFRA STATISTICS ON AIR QUALITY AND EMISSIONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
We have reviewed the actions that your team has taken to address the requirements in Assessment Report number 344: Statistics on Air Quality and Emissions of Air Pollutants.
On behalf of the Board of the UK Statistics Authority, I am pleased to confirm the continued designation of National Statistics for the air quality and emissions of air pollutants statistics.
These statistics are valuable because they support understanding of air pollution – a major environmental threat to human health in the UK. They inform the development of policies that aim to improve air quality by reducing emissions of air pollutants. The statistics provide a good overview of trends over time in the concentration of air pollutants and the relative contribution of different sources of emissions of air pollutants.
The team responsible for producing the statistics has responded very positively to the Requirements of our report. The team has made changes that enhance the coherence, accessibility and clarity and insight of the statistics and data for a wide range of users. We are particularly pleased with the more joined-up presentation of the two sets of statistics, and with the progress made on developing a local air quality data warehouse, which will maximise access to, and the value of, these data for specialist users. In some areas, the team went beyond the Requirements and implemented additional changes, such as converting the statistics bulletins to HTML format. We welcome the team’s commitment to continuous improvement.
We have included more detail about our judgement in an annex to this letter. I, or my team, would be happy to talk you or your colleagues through any aspects of this letter or Code compliance more generally.
National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value and is something to be celebrated. We welcome that you already publish a statement alongside the statistics which reflects the National Statistics status, and we encourage you to update this on an ongoing basis as you continue to develop the statistics.
I am copying this letter to Philip Taylor, the responsible statistician.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation