Dear Philip,

Assessment of the Business Enterprise Research and Development statistics

Following the latest correspondence, we appreciate the cooperation of you and your team during the temporary suspension of accredited official statistics status of the detailed breakdowns of the Northern Ireland’s Business Enterprise Research and Development (NI BERD) data.

We are pleased to see the progress made by NISRA, alongside ONS, to improve the methodology used to produce BERD statistics, ensuring consistency and coherence in approach. It is good that you have been able to announce your plans to reintroduce the previously suspended detailed breakdown statistics on 28 February 2024.

We are engaging with both NISRA’s NI BERD and ONS’s BERD statistical production teams while we conduct a Spotlight on Quality assessment. The scope of the assessment is to review how the recently introduced new methods used to produce BERD statistics have enhanced the quality of these statistics and the extent to which the new statistics will meet users’ needs.

I am copying this letter to Brian Green, Director of Economic Statistics.

Yours sincerely

Mark Pont

 

Related Links:

Brian Green to Ed Humpherson: Business Expenditure Research and Development statistics

Ed Humpherson to Brian Green: Statistics from Northern Ireland Research and Development Survey