Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation writes to Guy Goodwin, Chief Executive, National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).

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Dear Guy,

Further to my letter of 12 June, we have today published our compliance check looking at the transparency and communication of the recent International Passenger Survey (IPS) collection mode changes, related publication delays and supporting quality information.

The report identifies several areas of positive practice and some areas where ONS should have provided a better experience for users of IPS tourism statistics during the change in methods.

While there is more work for ONS to do to ensure that users of all its outputs are effectively supported during periods of statistical innovation, I am reassured by ONS’s positive communication with IPS migration statistics users and the early response of the Deputy National Statistician to address some of the issues identified in his letter dated 15 June. This includes plans to bring greater coherence to travel and tourism statistics across the GSS. I have also written to him today to seek his assurance that the findings of this compliance check are actively considered for future ONS developments.

OSR will also be carrying out a further compliance check of the IPS Overseas travel and tourism outputs in 2019, following the publication of the final 2018 data. We will keep you informed about this work as well as our separate project to set out our expectations for established National Statistics when methods changes are introduced, which is scheduled for later this year.

I am copying this letter to John Pullinger, National Statistician, Iain Bell, Deputy National Statistician and Jackie Orme, Head of Profession for Statistics at the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Yours sincerely,

Ed Humpherson

 

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Related Links  

International Passenger Survey compliance check report (October 2018)

Ed Humpherson to Iain Bell (October 2018)

Iain Bell to Ed Humpherson (June 2018)

Guy Goodwin to Ed Humpherson (June 2018)

Ed Humpherson to Guy Goodwin (June 2018)