Dear Rachel, 

Alternative Release Time for Public Sector Classification Guide and Forward Work Plan

Thank you for your letter of the 19 October 2022, requesting an alternative release time of 7am for the publication of ONS’s Public Sector Classification Guide and Forward Plan. 

We recognise that the October release of Public Sector Classification Guide and Forward Plan will include classifications of the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Schemes.

We acknowledge that publishing the details of your classification decisions has the potential to impact market sensitive data. We support your request to publish the Classification Guide at 7am on 31 October, ahead of the opening of market trading at 8am, ensuring orderly release and equal access to the details of your classification decisions.

We expect that future releases of the Public Sector Classification Guide and Forward Work Plan will adhere to the standard release time of 9:30am. If ONS considers there is a need for another ART in the future, this will be considered as a separate further request.

Please ensure that the time of the October release is made public and that the reasons for the alternative release time are clearly outlined.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation