We are fully committed to supporting producers of statistics during this challenging time.
Producers have shown and continue to show great flexibility in adapting what they collect and publish to respond to this new environment.
As we adjust to changes in our society and the economy, our aim is for statistics to continue to be of high quality, to be trustworthy, and to be valuable in meeting the information needs of society to serve the public good.
We have published a package of measures to assist producers including:
- guidance on factors that producers should consider when making changes to data collection, statistics production and release
- a statement outlining our position and expectations on the use of management information by government and other public bodies
- guidance for statistical producers on suspending National Statistics status
- setting out an approach to rapid regulatory reviews, potentially including National Statistics status, for any new outputs published by producers which inform the public about the coronavirus and its economic and social impacts.
We will support sensible changes to existing production practices.
During the Covid-19 outbreak, OSR has carried out rapid reviews of new official statistics that have been produced in response to the outbreak. This table provides easy access to information about OSR’s endorsements following those reviews.
| Producer body | Statistics | Status (NS or OS) | Link to published material |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONS | Covid-19 statistics from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey | OS | Letter |
| ONS | Faster Economic Indicators | OS | Letter |
| Welsh Government | Welsh Government Children and staff attendance at local authority settings in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic | OS | Letter |
| Department for Education | Attendance in education and early years settings during the COVID-19 pandemic | OS | Letter |
| ONS | Coronavirus (COVD-19) Infection Survey | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| Department for Transport | Transport statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic | Experimental Official Statistics | Letter |
| Natural England | Interim indicators from the People and Nature Survey for England | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| Welsh Government | National Survey for Wales | NS | Letter |
| NHS England | Daily Covid-19 deaths in hospitals statistics | OS | Letter |
| HMRC | Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) statistics | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| Department of Health and Social Care | NHS Test and Trace Statistics (England) | Letter | |
| ONS | Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| ONS | Coronavirus (COVID-19) weekly insights: Key health indicators in England | Official Statistics | Letter |
| Scottish Government | Statistics from the Scottish Victimisation Telephone Survey | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| NHS England | Statistics on COVID-19 vaccinations | Official Statistics | Letter |
| Department of Health and Social Care | Weekly statistics for rapid asymptomatic testing in England | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
| Department of Justice | Northern Ireland Safe Community Telephone Survey | Experimental Statistics | Letter |
This table notes exemptions to the normal practices of the Code of Practice for Statistics that OSR has agreed with statistical producer bodies in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak following OSR guidance.
| Producer body | Statistics | Nature of exemption | Duration | Relevant links if any |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office for National Statistics | COVID-19 Infection Survey Results | Publish statistics at 12 pm on Wednesday 19 January instead of 2 pm | Until January 2022 | - |
| Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency | Weekly deaths statistics | Publish weekly deaths statistics on 23 December to avoid publication of the statistics on Christmas Eve | Until December 2021 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Office for National Statistics | Market sensitive economic statistics | Publish market sensitive statistics at 7 am rather than 9.30 am in the absence of media lock-ins | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter and reply |
| Welsh Government | Key economic statistics | Publish market sensitive statistics at 7 am rather than 9.30 am to coordinate with ONS releases | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter and reply |
| Scottish Government | Key economic statistics | Publish market sensitive statistics at 7 am rather than 9.30 am to coordinate with ONS releases | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter and reply |
| Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency | Market sensitive economic statistics | Publish market sensitive statistics at 7 am rather than 9.30 am to coordinate with ONS releases | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter and reply |
| HM Treasury | UK Official Holdings of International Reserves | Publish market sensitive statistics at 7 am rather than 9.30 am to coordinate with ONS releases | Until July 2021 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| National Records of Scotland | Weekly death statistics | Publish statistics at noon rather than 9.30 am to allow for quality assurance | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Public Health Scotland | Weekly COVID-19 report | Publish at noon rather than 9.30 am in line with other related statistics | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Scott Heald Reply from Ed Humpherson Reply from Scott Heald |
| Welsh Government | Children and staff attendance at local authority settings in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic | Publish statistics at noon rather than 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Department of Health, Northern Ireland | Daily COVID-19 statistics dashboard | Publish at 2 pm rather than 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Dr Eugene Mooney Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Department for Education | Attendance at education and childcare setting during coronavirus outbreak | Publish statistics at noon rather than 9.30 am to allow for quality assurance | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Office for National Statistics | Coronavirus (Covid-19) Infection Survey statistics | Publish at 12 noon rather than 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Office for National Statistics | COVID-19 Infection Survey | Publish statistics at 11 am on 31 July 2020 instead of 12 pm | Once on 31 July 2020 | Letter and reply |
| Welsh Government | COVID-19 Infection Survey Results | Publish at noon rather than 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Department of Health NI | COVID-19 Infection Survey Results | Publish at noon rather than 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Office for National Statistics | COVID-19 Infection Survey Results | Publish statistics at 10:30 am on Thursday 26 November instead of noon on Friday 27 November | Once on Thursday 26 November | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Office for National Statistics | Coronavirus (COVID-19) weekly insights: Key health indicators in England | Publish statistics at noon on a Friday instead of 9.30 am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) | Weekly deaths statistics | Publish statistics at 4 pm instead of 9.30 am, and publish on Wednesday 23 December instead of Friday 25 December | Once on Wednesday 23 December | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| UK Health Security Agency | Seasonal flu and COVID vaccine uptake statistics | Publish at 2 pm to allow adequate time for quality assurance and at same time as other related statistics | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
| Department of Health, Northern Ireland | Vaccination status statistics | Publish at 2pm rather than 9.30am | Until 5 May 2022 | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
Official statistics that have been assessed to meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value expected by the Code of Practice for Statistics are assigned National Statistics status. This table lists those statistics that will continue to be produced but where, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, it has not been possible for the producer body to comply with the Code of Practice in full. In those cases National Statistics status has been suspended. We have issued guidance to help producers when considering suspension of National Statistics status.
| Producer body | Statistics | Changes | Duration | Relevant links if any |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Government | Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 | Temporary suspension of National Statistics designation due to the changes required to data collection for SHCS 2021 due to COVID-19, and the new statistical methods employed | Until further notice | Letter |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | Local authority revenue expenditure and financing, England: 2020 | Data inconsistencies due to COVID-19 crisis | One year | Letter |
| Office for National Statistics | Overseas travel and tourism statistics | Temporary suspension of National Statistics designation due to COVID-19 crisis | Until further notice | Letter and Response |
| NISRA | Northern Ireland Tourism Statistics | Temporarily remove National Statistics designation from statistics published for Quarter 1 2020 onwards | Until further notice | Letter from Ed Humpherson |
OSR statement on data transparency and the role of Heads of Profession for Statistics (July 2021)
OSR calls for further progress on vaccination data in response to PACAC inquiry (Feb 2021)
OSR statement on the impact of COVID-19 on the Labour Force Survey (Feb 2021)
Which COVID-19 deaths figures should I be looking at? (Blog from Jan 2021)
UK Data on Hospital Capacity and Occupancy (December 2020)
OSR Statement regarding transparency of data related to COVID-19 (November 2020)
Statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation on Grade adjustment in UK exams in 2020 (August 2020)
Measurement of deaths related to COVID-19 (August 2020)
Scottish Government use of COVID-19 prevalence rates (July 2020)
Our Review of NHS Test and Trace statistics in England (July 2020)
Covid-19 Local Area Data (July 2020)
Presenting estimates of R by government and allied bodies across the United Kingdom (June 2020)
Data and Statistics on COVID-19 impacts on the Care sector (June 2020)
Mary Gregory to Johanna Hutchinson: Statistics informing quarantine requirements for arrivals to England (July 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Johanna Hutchinson (JBC): Transparency in Statistics (July 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Roger Halliday: Use of hospital admission data (June 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Lucy Vickers: Weekly statistics for rapid asymptomatic testing in England (April 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Mark Svenson: Review of statistics on COVID-19 vaccinations published by NHS England (April 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Professor Sheila Bird: Transparency around asymptomatic testing in secondary schools (March 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Iain Bell (ONS): COVID-19 Infection Survey Statistics (March 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Simon Briscoe: Care Home vaccine statements (February 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Iain Bell: ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey ad hoc teacher analysis (January 2021)
Ed Humpherson to producers of health-related statistics across the UK: Number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the UK (January 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Richard Pengelly, Department of Health, Northern Ireland: Number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the UK (January 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Scott Heald: Presentation of findings from the Discharges from NHSScotland hospitals to care homes report (January 2021)
Ed Humpherson to Chris Whitty: Transparency of data related to COVID-19 (November 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Sir Patrick Vallance: Transparency of data related to COVID-19 (November 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Michael Brodie: Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports (October 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Baroness Dido Harding: Reasons for getting a COVID-19 test: Survey of regional and local testing sites (October 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Stephen Balchin: Publication of ad hoc statistics (September 2020)
Ed Humpherson response to Will Moy: COVID-19: test times response at PMQs 3 June 2020 (August 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Roger Halliday: Use of COVID-19 prevalence rates by Scottish Government (July 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Jeremy Pocklington: Management Information on Rough Sleepers (June 2020)
Sir David Norgrove letter to Matt Hancock (June 2020) and Matt Hancock’s response ( June 2020)
Sir David Norgrove letter to Matt Hancock (May 2020) and Matt Hancock’s response (May 2020)
Ed Humpherson to Steve Ellerd-Elliot: Universal Credit Management Information (April 2020)
Letter from Ed Humpherson to Mr Pengelly, regarding statistical information relating to COVID-19 in Northern Ireland (April 2020)