Following a widespread exercise of engagement with users of the Code we have published a report of the Code Stocktake, which sets out our vision for a refreshed Code and proposals for how we apply in the Code in the future. We have published this report as an exposure draft to share our thinking and to invite comments and observations from all stakeholders.
Our vision for a refreshed Code is based around the following insights which have been informed by the valuable feedback we received:
- The Code should be seen as a transformational document, not a checklist, building on its current strengths but with a clearer emphasis on the high level outcomes of trustworthiness, quality and value it enables
- The Code should continue to apply to official statistics, and the Authority’s regulatory function should focus on reviewing how official statistics comply with the Code
- There is also a wide range of other information published by Government that is not, and should not be, official statistics. Yet the high level principles of the Code – of transparency, equality of access, and integrity – can apply more widely, and we should encourage those who disseminate information to look to the Code as a broad guide to good practice. We therefore propose that the Code makes a clearer distinction between high level principles – with which a range of organisations can comply on a voluntary basis – and the core practices which apply to official statistics
We wish to thank all those that have contributed their views and thoughts to the Code Stocktake. To develop these proposals further will require careful thought and we are keen to continue to do so in a very consultative manner. We would welcome any comments on this report to inform our thinking at this stage by the end of February 2017. For more information or to provide comments please email Siobhan Tuohy-Smith at assessment@statistics.gsi.gov.uk. If you are interested in providing feedback as part of a focus group in early 2017 (late January/ February), please register your interest by emailing Georgia Trewick at assessment@statistics.gsi.gov.uk.
Any specific changes to the content of the Code will also be subject to a more formal consultation during 2017.