Dear Ed

Thank you for your letter of 5 March about the use of unpublished statistics in a Cabinet Office news release; apologies for the delay.

We have today published an information note that provides context and further detail about the issues set out in the news release. And colleagues in the Border and Protocol Delivery Group are considering the feasibility of publishing an official statistical release later in the year should there be a public requirement for this information.

As you know I agree with your expectation that “any data used publicly by Government should be published in an accessible form, with appropriate explanations of context and sources”. I will take steps to raise the profile of this issue across the Department, with a view to minimising the likelihood of unpublished statistics being used publicly, and also to explore the scope to publish more statistics where there is a user need.

Yours sincerely

Richard Laux

Deputy Director
Data and Analysis – Race Disparity Unit Chief Statistician, Cabinet Office

 

Related Links

Ed Humpherson to Richard Laux: Use of unpublished statistics in news release