News – Office for Statistics Regulation

87 news items found

OSR Publishes Assessment of 2022 Census in Scotland
4 April 2023 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its latest assessment report for the 2022 Census in Scotland. OSR has been impressed by the dedication of the statistical teams…
OSR publishes review of excess deaths reporting
13 February 2023 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a short review of excess death reporting given the high public interest in these important measures. The Office for National Statistics…
OSR appoints new Deputy Head to the Senior Management Team
31 January 2023 — Announcement, Appointments
The Office for Statistics Regulation is delighted to appoint Rob Kent-Smith as the new Deputy Head, joining Ed Humpherson and the rest of his team to deliver on our regulatory…
OSR and the Royal Statistical Society launch 4th Code of Practice Award for 2023
26 January 2023 — Press release
We are now accepting entries for our 2023 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality & Value, awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World.…
OSR statement on use of vaccination statistics
25 January 2023 — Statement
On 20 January 2023 OSR responded to concerns raised with us regarding Deaths by Vaccination Status statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Our response clearly states that…
OSR invites feedback on its draft business priorities for 2023/24
7 December 2022 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published four priorities that build upon the work undertaken by OSR over the past year, and continue to support the vision of statistics…
OSR publishes initial findings following review of Office for National Statistics’ transformation of the labour force survey
14 November 2022 — Press release
The Office of Statistics Regulation OSR has published its initial findings of a review advising, challenging and supporting ONS to improve the quality, granularity and timeliness of data which underpins…
OSR publishes further report looking at health and social care statistics beyond the pandemic
1 November 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its second report on the remarkable work by producers of health and social care statistics to meet the increased public demand…
OSR reports that Casework remains higher than pre-pandemic levels
20 October 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation publishes its Annual Review of Casework report for 2021/22.
Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) Collaborate to Publish Research on Perceptions of Public Good in the Use of Data and Statistics
4 October 2022 — Press release
OSR and ADR UK have published original research to explore what the public perceive and understand to be ‘public good’ in use of data for research and statistics. This is…
OSR publishes initial report on presenting uncertainty around estimates
21 September 2022 — Press release
Today, OSR has published its first report on presenting uncertainty around estimates, a fundamental aspect in the appropriate use and interpretation of statistics. OSR’s work considers aspects of the cause…
OSR undertakes review of ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS)
30 August 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation has undertaken a review of statistics from the Office for National Statistics’ COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS), which remain of high value to governments and the…
OSR launches review into data sharing and data linkage
23 August 2022 —
Following on from our work on Joining Up Data in 2018 and our update to this in 2019, we are launching a follow-up review into both data sharing and data…
OSR publishes latest insights into the Statistics System
18 July 2022 — Press release
Today the Office for Statistics Regulation has published its 2021/22 State of the Statistical System Report. The UK statistical system is performing strongly at a time of multiple challenges, but…
Winner is announced for the Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value Award 2022
15 July 2022 — Press release
Today, we are proud to announce the COVID-19 Dashboard Team from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as winner of the Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, awarded…
OSR undertakes important review of Key Stage 4 Statistics
13 July 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a review of the Key Stage 4 (KS4) performance statistics produced by Department for Education (DfE). These statistics are published annually…
OSR confirms the National Statistics designation of 2021 Census in England and Wales
28 June 2022 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is pleased to confirm National Statistics status of the 2021 Census for England and Wales, with the first estimates of the population of England…
OSR launches new work on analytical leadership
27 May 2022 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation launch new work to support change and improvement to analytical leadership across government, and are looking to engage with those who use data in their…
OSR calls for greater transparency around statistics relating to UK asset freeze targets under the Russia regulations
25 May 2022 — Statement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) would like to see greater transparency and clarity around statistics relating to UK asset freeze targets under the Russia regulations. There is considerable media…
OSR is delighted to confirm the National Statistics designation of 2021 Census in Northern Ireland
24 May 2022 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is delighted to confirm National Statistics status for the first release of headline estimates from the Census on population and household statistics for…
Today’s changes to the Code of Practice for Statistics: Alternative release times for official statistics
5 May 2022 — Press release
Today we are making our first change to our Code of Practice for Statistics since its major overhaul in 2018. We are changing two practices which relate to the release…
OSR statement on claims related to economic migrants
28 April 2022 — Statement
An OSR statement setting out what an economic migrant is and what the available data tells us about migrants arriving in small boats.
OSR statement on statistics around refugees
30 March 2022 — Statement
The Office for Statistics Regulation statement on the difference between figures related to asylum and resettlement when talking about statistics around refugees.
Changes to the Code of Practice for Statistics: Release times for official statistics
24 March 2022 — Announcement, Press release
The UK Statistics Authority has approved the amendment to the Code of Practice for Statistics to enable alternative release times to be used, when granted by the Director General for…
OSR and the Royal Statistical Society launch 3rd Code of Practice Award for 2022
10 March 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation announce the launch of their third Code of Practice Award for 2022.
OSR champions improvements to Children and Young People statistics
3 March 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review of children and young people statistics, Visibility, Vulnerability and Voice: The importance of including children and young people in official…
OSR publishes report on ONS migration statistics
1 March 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) today published a review of migration statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is our first report reviewing ONS’s transformation of migration statistics in…
OSR publishes its UK-wide review of transport accessibility statistics
10 February 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review of transport accessibility statistics. Accessible transport describes a transport network which allows all users equal opportunity to travel when they want,…
OSR publishes new regulatory guidance as part of its transparency campaign
2 February 2022 — Press release
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published new regulatory guidance on the transparent release and use of statistics and data. The guidance is informed by the principles set…
OSR welcomes ONS blog on COVID-19 deaths: to say only 17,000 people have died from COVID-19 is highly misleading
26 January 2022 — Statement
There has been considerable coverage of a Freedom of Information response published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It shows death registrations for 2020 and 2021 (provisional) that were due to COVID-19 and were recorded…
OSR welcomes Royal Society’s Online Information Environment report
19 January 2022 — Press release
This week the Royal Society published The Online Information Environment: Understanding how the internet shapes people’s engagement with scientific information. It is also highly relevant to our work at the…
OSR Publishes Assessment Reports for 2021 Censuses
17 November 2021 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation has published phase 2 assessment reports for the 2021 Census in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These reports draw on our previous preliminary findings…
OSR publishes its review of climate change statistics
27 October 2021 — Announcement
Climate change is widely seen as the most important challenge facing the world. Ahead of COP26 the Office for Statistics Regulation has published a review of the accessibility and coherence…
OSR calls for strong leadership, transparency, and investment in health and social care statistics after pandemic
7 October 2021 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its report: Improving health and social care statistics: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for…
Meet the UK statistics watchdog: Wednesday 13 October
6 October 2021 — Event
Join the Office for Statistics Regulation on Wednesday 13 October at 5.30pm when we’ll be hosting an online public event to talk about our work during the pandemic and ask…
UKSA reports three times the volume of casework amidst COVID-19 pandemic
30 September 2021 — Press release
The UK Statistics Authority has today published its Annual Review of Casework report for 2020/21. As the UK Statistics Authority’s regulatory arm, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) investigates all…
OSR supports findings of Inclusive Data Taskforce
28 September 2021 — Statement
Statistics published by public sector bodies should be produced in a trustworthy way, be of high quality, and provide value by answering people’s questions: providing accountability, helping people make choices…
OSR asks DHSC to work with other departments to answer questions on Test and Trace
4 August 2021 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has written to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) following a review of its NHS Test and Trace (England) statistics and NHS COVID-19 app statistics. Statistics…
Winners announced for the Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value Award 2021
15 July 2021 — Announcement
Today, we are proud to announce the winners of the second Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World. This award…
OSR publishes its State of the Statistics System report
14 July 2021 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a review of the state of the UK’s statistical system 2020/21. Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested…
OSR statement on data transparency and the role of Heads of Profession for Statistics
13 July 2021 — Statement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) recognises the extraordinary efforts that statisticians have made over the past year to get relevant and timely data into the public domain and the…
What is the Code of Practice for Statistics?
28 June 2021 —
What is the Code of Practice for Statistics? How is it used? Why is it needed? This summer, we will be taking a closer look at the Code and explaining…
OSR publishes its review of income-based poverty statistics
19 May 2021 —
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review of income-based poverty statistics. The concept of poverty means different things to different people, which makes it difficult to define and…
OSR publishes its review of population estimates and projections produced by the Office for National Statistics
10 May 2021 —
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review of the population estimates and projections produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Our review focuses on the population…
OSR publishes review endorsing a reproducible approach to government statistics
23 March 2021 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review on Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP). RAP is a reproducible way of producing official statistics. It involves using code to automate…
OSR welcomes changes to pre-release access in Scotland
5 March 2021 — Statement
Yesterday, the Scottish Parliament passed legislation that change pre-release access arrangements to official statistics produced by the Scottish Government. The Office for Statistics Regulation’s Director General previously set out the…
OSR and RSS launch Code of Practice award for 2021
3 March 2021 — Announcement
We are now accepting entries for our 2021 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World. Previously…
OSR publishes its review of the approach to developing statistical models to award 2020 exam results
2 March 2021 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a review of the approach to developing statistical models to award 2020 exam results. As the regulator of official statistics in the…
OSR publish draft guidance on collecting and reporting data about sex
25 February 2021 — Statement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published draft guidance on collecting and reporting data about sex. This guidance sets out our expectations on producers with respect to using…
Statement: OSR calls for further progress on vaccination data in response to PACAC inquiry
10 February 2021 — Statement
Yesterday Sir David Norgrove, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority wrote to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) in response to its request for evidence for its Data…
OSR statement on the impact of COVID-19 on the Labour Force Survey
5 February 2021 — Statement
We continue to be impressed by the pace at which organisations have adapted their data collection and dissemination processes to provide necessary information on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting…
Office for Statistics Regulation highlights widespread and critical need for excellence in statistical leadership
3 February 2021 —
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its review on Statistical Leadership, it highlights the importance of Governments across the UK showing leadership in use of numbers and…
UK Data on Hospital Capacity and Occupancy
17 December 2020 — Statement
In many cases, data on hospital capacity and occupancy are not easy to find or interpret. To help users, we’ve examined a range of outputs to see if we can answer some straightforward questions that we have been…
OSR publishes its review: The public good of statistics; what we know so far
9 December 2020 — Announcement
Today we have published our review ‘The public good of statistics; what we know so far’. This review has been published as part of our Research Programme launched in 2019,…
OSR launches its review of poverty statistics
20 November 2020 — Announcement
Following on from our blog published earlier this year on the trouble with measuring poverty, we are beginning our review on income-based poverty statistics in the UK. We’ve been working…
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) Publishes its Reviews of UK Benefit Statistics
18 November 2020 — Announcement
OSR has today published a package of reviews concerning UK benefit statistics. This includes a full assessment of Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) benefit statistics for Great Britain and a…
OSR Statement regarding transparency of data related to COVID-19
5 November 2020 — Statement
The UK Statistics Authority’s vision is simple: Statistics should serve the public good. By championing high standards, we seek to uphold public confidence in statistics that serve the public good.…
Are statistics serving the Public Good? Our Research Programme is going to help us find out
4 November 2020 — Announcement
Since the launch of our research programme, we have been finding out exactly what problems currently exist around understanding the public good of statistics, such as: difficulties defining and measuring…
Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) reflects on record volumes of casework
29 October 2020 —
The UK Statistics Authority has today published its Annual Review of Casework. Making public statements about the dissemination and use of statistics has been an important part of the Authority’s work…
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) Suggests a Range of Improvements Following the Assessment of ONS’s Business Demography Statistics
28 October 2020 —
OSR has today published a full assessment of ONS’s business demography statistics. This report suggests that a range of improvements is needed for these statistics to fully meet National Statistics…
First Award Winners Announced for the Voluntary Application of the Code Award 2020
20 October 2020 — Announcement
Today, we are proud to announce the winners of the first ever Voluntary Application of the Code Award. This new and prestigious Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) award is given…
Assessment of 2021 Censuses in the UK
11 September 2020 —
The Census is one of the most important sources of official statistics, informing decisions about almost every aspect of life within the UK. The three Census offices – the Office…
OSR review of approach to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results
18 August 2020 — Statement
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) will conduct a review of the approach taken to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results. Our review will consider the extent…
Statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation on Grade adjustment in UK exams in 2020
12 August 2020 — Statement
Due to COVID-19, exams in schools, colleges and other settings across the UK have been cancelled. This year, grades awarded are based on teacher estimated grades submitted via the awarding…
Measurement of deaths related to COVID-19
5 August 2020 — Statement
There are multiple sources of information on deaths related to COVID-19 in the public domain. There are valid reasons for this range of figures which reflect the variety of uses…
Scottish Government use of COVID-19 prevalence rates
22 July 2020 — Statement
Concerns have been raised with us about Scottish Government’s quantified comparisons of the prevalence of COVID-19 in Scotland and England. The data sources used by Scottish Government in making these…
Our Review of NHS Test and Trace statistics in England
15 July 2020 — Statement
Today we have published our Rapid Review of NHS Test and Trace statistics (England). The pace at which the NHS Test and Trace Programme has been developed has been unprecedented.…
COVID-19 Local Area Data
1 July 2020 — Statement
Following announcement of the first local area lockdown – where it has been widely quoted that Leicester accounted for 10 per cent of all positive cases in the country over…
Data and Statistics on COVID-19 impacts on the Care sector
4 June 2020 — Statement
The impact of COVID-19 on those in care settings – care home residents and recipients of domiciliary care – has received significant media attention. There is high demand for trustworthy,…
COVID-19: Production and use of management information by government and other official bodies
18 May 2020 — Statement
This guidance note summarises our position and expectations on the use of management information by government and other official bodies During times of rapid change there is an increased need…
COVID-19 surveillance and registered deaths data review
21 April 2020 — Announcement, Statement
Information available on COVID-19 cases and deaths has been developed rapidly in a constantly shifting environment. The work being done by analysts to get this information into the public domain…
Statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation – COVID-19 Update
3 April 2020 — Announcement, Statement
We welcome the work of analysts across a range of organisations in providing the public with information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pace at which these organisations have set…
The Office for Statistics Regulation encourages ONS to enhance employment and jobs statistics
26 March 2020 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its National Statistics assessment report on the employment and jobs statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The report…
COVID-19 and the regulation of statistics
20 March 2020 — Announcement, Press release, Statement
Today, The Director General for Statistics Regulation has made the following statement: “This is a very difficult time for everyone as the UK adjusts to rapid changes in society and…
The Office for Statistics Regulation calls for better adult social care data for England to understand the experience of individuals getting social care
16 January 2020 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its findings from an in-depth review of Adult Social Care statistics in England. The need for good data to support delivery…
New ‘Voluntary Application Award’ to be Celebrated at the RSS Statistical Excellence Awards 2020
14 January 2020 — Press release
New 'Voluntary Application Award' for the RSS Statistical Excellence Awards 2020.
The Office for Statistics Regulation calls for action to improve official rail passenger satisfaction measure
8 January 2020 — Press release
OSR statement on the assessment of the National Rail Passenger Survey, 8 January 2019.
Civil Service World podcast – ‘Can we trust statistics?’
19 December 2019 —
Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation at Office for Statistics Regulation, talks with President of the Royal Statistical Society, Deborah Ashby, and philosopher Baroness Onora O'Neill about how we can…
OSR statement on EU settlement scheme statistics
4 November 2019 — Statement
OSR statement on Home Office statistics on the EU settlement scheme.
OSR statement on school funding announcements
15 October 2019 — Statement
It is vital that data and information on school funding published by the Department for Education are presented clearly and not open to misinterpretation. In light of enquiries we have…
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) takes further steps to bolster the value of public finance statistics for the UK’s countries and regions
30 September 2019 — Press release
Today Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation at the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has recommended that the Chief Statisticians in the UK’s devolved countries, together with the Office for…
OSR statement on fraud statistics
20 September 2019 — Statement
OSR statement on fraud statistics, 20 September 2019
OSR Statement on the Trustworthiness, Quality and Value of Long-Term International Migration Estimates
21 August 2019 — Statement
Today, Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, confirmed that the UK Statistics Authority has concluded that the Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (MSQR) should not be designated National Statistics. Ed Humpherson…
Quality and Value of International Migration Statistics – Statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation
31 July 2019 — Statement
A statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation on the quality and value of ONS migration statistics.
OSR publishes Post-16 Education and Skills Report
9 April 2019 — Press release
Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its report on the value of data and statistics in relation to post-16 education and skills in England. The focus of…
Celebrating one year since the refresh of the Code of Practice for Statistics
22 February 2019 — Announcement
This time last year, the UK Statistics Authority launched the refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics. The refreshed Code has supported and developed thinking on statistics as a public asset based on three pillars…
The Social Metrics Commission Voluntarily Adopts the Code of Practice for Statistics
15 February 2019 — Announcement
The Office for Statistics Regulation is pleased to announce that the Social Metrics Commission has become one of the latest organisations to publish a statement of voluntary compliance with the…