Ed Humpherson to Liz McKeown: Regional Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI)
Dear Liz,
Reaccreditation of Regional Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) statistics
Thank you for your letter requesting reaccreditation of the Regional Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) statistics, including the regional Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) estimates (adjusting for the impact of price changes). We have reviewed the evidence provided against the standards of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code). I am pleased to confirm that these statistics comply with the Code and, starting from the “Regional gross disposable household income, UK: 1997 to 2024” statistics bulletin published in August 2026, can again be labelled as accredited official statistics.
Accreditation was initially suspended following concerns about the quality of the Annual Population Survey (APS). Since then, we have reviewed additional evidence provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We have also engaged with Scottish Government to test our views as a key stakeholder reliant on these statistics.
This evidence has demonstrated that while APS data contribute to these statistics, they form one component of a broader methodological framework and are not the primary determinant of the estimates. The quality issues affecting the APS therefore do not have the same direct impact on GDHI (and RHDI) as they do on statistics that rely predominantly on APS or Labour Force Survey data. We also note that the RHDI estimates were recently introduced to the GDHI output. While a new development, these improvements draw on credible and established sources, aligning with National Accounts methods where appropriate.
I would like to thank you and your team for your constructive engagement on this work.
I am copying this letter to Hannah Finselbach, Deputy Director, Surveys & Economic Indicators.
Yours sincerely,
Ed Humpherson
Director General for OSR