Dear Ed,

Re: Alternative Release Times for Official Statistics – Making the Case for Public Good

I welcome the recommendations from the Office for Statistics Regulation and approval by the UK Statistics Authority to amend the Code of Practice for Statistics to allow for greater flexibility on release times where it can better serve the public good. The flexibility introduced during the pandemic and in place for the last two years has enabled the ONS to publish important statistics at the earliest opportunity while reaching the widest possible audience.

We are grateful for the support OSR has given throughout the pandemic to make this possible and for this amendment to the Code to continue this work to best meet the public good. We have set out in a statement the benefit this approach brings and will continue to work with statistics producers, users and other interested parties to ensure we best meet the needs of
our users.

Best regards,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond

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