Dear Steve,
Confirmation of National Statistics Designation for National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK Statistics
In January 2017 the Office for Statistics Regulation undertook an assessment of Statistics on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals produced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). We assessed the statistics reported quarterly in National Insurance Number allocations to adult overseas nationals (NINo Allocations), and annually in Nationality at point of NINo registration of DWP working age benefit recipients (NINo Benefit Claimants), along with the related commentary that is published in the August publication of NINo Allocations.
As a result of the assessment, we judged that the statistics published in NINo Allocations should have their National Statistics status temporarily suspended until work to improve their limited supporting guidance and overall public value is undertaken. We have reviewed the actions that your team has taken since then to address the requirements in the assessment report. On behalf of the Board of the UK Statistics Authority, I am pleased to confirm the designation of National Statistics for the NINo Allocation statistics.
The 2017 assessment of the statistics focused on eight requirements which DWP was to meet to ensure compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. We also considered more broadly how the statistics meet the three pillars of the Code of Practice for Statistics, evaluating their trustworthiness, quality, and value.
We recognise the hard work your team has undertaken to meet the requirements of the assessment which has enhanced the clarity, insight, and accessibility of the statistics for users. From our review, users have told us that improvements made to the statistics have strengthened perceptions of trustworthiness. Further, application of the Quality Assurance of Administrative Data (QAAD) guidance in the related supporting information provides detailed information and assurance of the quality of the statistics.
At the time of the assessment we stressed the importance of the role of DWP and these statistics in helping to inform what we understand of the wider migration picture in the UK. This will be even more important in this period of change to the migration system in the UK and with the cross-government migration statistics transformation programme led by ONS. We welcome DWP’s commitment and efforts to support ONS in taking forward the transformation programme.
The review focused solely on NINo Allocations; NINo Benefit Claimants is still classed as experimental statistics so is not being considered for National Statistics designation at this time. I am encouraged to hear that, working in collaboration with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), you plan to develop these statistics to include both DWP and HMRC benefits. This should provide users with a more complete picture of working age benefit recipients by nationality.
We have included more detail about our judgement in an annex to this letter, which I, or a member of my team, would be very happy to discuss with you in more detail.
I have copied this letter to Yolanda Ruizrodriguez in your team.
Yours sincerely
Ed Humpherson
Director General for Regulation
Annex: Review of actions taken by Department for Work and Pensions in response to Assessment Report 331
Please note in the Annex, the National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK statistics will be referred to using the acronym ‘NINo’.
Related Links:
Statistics on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals