News – Page 2 – Office for Statistics Regulation

OSR raises quality concerns about ONS’s subnational mid-year population estimates for England and Wales

11 May 2026 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its compliance review of national and subnational 2024 mid-year population estimates (MYEs) for England and Wales produced by the Office for…

OSR publishes its response to ONS’s second quarterly progress update on economic statistics

6 May 2026 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its response here to the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) second quarterly update on progress with economic statistics. The latest update demonstrates genuine and…

OSR publishes update on ONS’s Labour Force Survey and its transformation

29 April 2026 — Statement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published an update on progress with the transformation of the Labour Force Survey, produced by the Office for National Statistic (ONS). The…

Statement: Understanding NHS planned care waiting times statistics across the UK

22 April 2026 — Statement

The performance of the NHS has featured prominently in the current election campaigns for the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. This has included various claims about NHS planned care waiting times…

OSR statement on statistics from the Crime Survey for England and Wales

2 April 2026 — Statement

There continues to be significant public discussion – by both politicians and the media – about crime rates in England and Wales and the reliability of the crime statistics produced…

OSR publishes guidance to help users navigate statistics ahead of May elections

25 March 2026 — Announcement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published new guidance aimed at supporting the use and understanding of statistics during election campaigns, as elections take place across England, Scotland and…

Office for Statistics Regulation Reports on Treatment of Seasonality in Quarterly GDP Statistics

17 March 2026 — Statement

A review by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has examined a persistent pattern in recent GDP data, with stronger growth in the first half of the year than in…

OSR and the Royal Statistical Society Launch 7th TQV Code of Practice Award for 2026

5 February 2026 — Press release

The Royal Statistical Society and the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) are partnering once again to accept entries for the 2026 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value,…

OSR has published its response to the Office for National Statistics’ first quarterly progress report on economic statistics

29 January 2026 — Press release

The response follows the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR)’s systemic review of the Office for National Statistics (ONS)’s economic statistics, which began in July 2024 and concluded with a final…

Office for Statistics Regulation publishes final report on ONS economic statistics

27 November 2025 — Announcement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its final report from the systemic review of economic statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The review confirms…

Office for Statistics Regulation Publishes Strategy for 2026–2029

26 November 2025 — Announcement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has set out its priorities for the next three years, focused on strengthening trust and confidence in official statistics. The strategy outlines four themes:…

OSR calls for intelligent transparency to be the default approach to government communication of statistics

19 November 2025 — Announcement

Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) published its Intelligent Transparency: 2025 review. As a response to the ever-growing challenge of misinformation and disinformation, intelligent transparency ensures that high-quality statistics…

OSR launches a refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics: Embedding Trustworthiness, Quality and Value (TQV)

3 November 2025 — Announcement

The Code of Practice 3.0 is now live! The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is excited to announce the publication of our refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics (Code 3.0),…

OSR statement on statistics concerning aspects of water in Scotland and England

28 October 2025 — Statement

Sewerage pollution incidents Statement: “There were 35.8 incidents per 10,000km of sewer in Scotland versus 35.4 incidents per 10,000km of sewer in England and Wales reported in 2023-24.” [24 July…

OSR statement on crime statistics

23 July 2025 — Statement

Over the past week there has been considerable discussion in the media about rates of crime and the reliability of crime data in England and Wales. Given the societal importance…

The UK Statistical System Remains Robust Despite Challenges

17 July 2025 — Press release

Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation published its annual review of the statistical system. We find that statisticians across the UK are committed to maintaining quality, integrity and trust in…

The 6th Winner of the Statistical Excellence Award for Trustworthiness, Quality and Value is Announced

16 July 2025 — Announcement

We are proud to announce that the 2025 Statistical Excellence Award for Trustworthiness, Quality and Value is awarded to Mental Health Innovations (MHI). Awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical…

OSR sets out action needed to produce key comparable UK data

27 June 2025 — Statement

OSR sets out action needed to produce key comparable UK data The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a systemic review addressing the persistent challenges in delivering UK-wide…

OSR’s Annual Review of Casework Shows Progress on Promoting Intelligent Transparency & Quicker Response Time to Issues

18 June 2025 — Statement

The Office of Statistics Regulation continues to successfully protect the independence and use of official statistics, including during the political transition following the 2024 general election, as detailed in our…

OSR suspend accreditation of Wealth and Assets Survey

13 June 2025 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has suspended the official statistics status of the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS) following quality concerns identified in its review, alongside a request by…

OSR publishes final phase of the assessment of Census 2021 in England and Wales

12 June 2025 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published the final phase of its assessment of the 2021 Census in England and Wales. This phase of the assessment focused on…

OSR’s statement on the Gambling Survey for Great Britain

22 May 2025 — Statement

Introduction Over the past few months, we have been undertaking a compliance review of the Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) which is produced by the Gambling Commission. This review…

OSR publishes review of UK Trade Statistics

20 May 2025 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its review of UK Trade Statistics, produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The review assesses compliance with the Code…

OSR Publishes Report on ONS Economic Statistics

7 April 2025 — Press release, Statement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a report on economic statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This report presents the evidence gathered in the…

New Report Highlights the Role of Official Statistics on Personal Decision-Making

19 March 2025 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation has today published a report commissioned from the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Behavioural Insights Team, to explore the role official statistics play…

Update on progress made on labour market statistics, produced by the Office for National Statistics.

26 February 2025 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published an update on progress made on labour market statistics, produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The report consolidates OSR’s…

OSR and the Royal Statistical Society launch 6th TQV Code of Practice Award for 2025

30 January 2025 — Announcement

We are accepting entries for our 2025 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality & Value, awarded in partnership with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and Civil Service World.

How government can make more data available for research and statistics in 2025

9 January 2025 — Statement

As we enter the new year, OSR sets out our view on what is needed to advance data sharing, access and linkage across government, to ensure opportunities to enhance the…

OSR’s statement on the Labour Force Survey-derived estimates and Annual Population Survey-derived estimates

12 December 2024 —

This statement provides information about statistics that have recently had their accredited official statistics status removed due to issues with the quality of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and associated…

OSR Update on the Transformation of Labour Market Statistics

12 December 2024 — Press release

Today we have published a blog, entitled Quality under challenge: Regulating statistics and data from the Labour Force Survey, to bring together information about how we are regulating statistics and…

Statement on OSR’s separation from ONS

24 October 2024 — Statement

The UK Statistics Authority is responsible for ensuring that official statistics serve the public good. To deliver this responsibility, it has two executive offices: the Office for National Statistics, which…

Help Future-Proof the Code of Practice for Statistics – OSR Consultation is now open

23 October 2024 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is refreshing its Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code) to ensure that it continues to meet the evolving needs of the statistics system,…

OSR’s Annual Review of Casework highlights its focus on encouraging intelligent transparency in the use of all statistics and data

30 September 2024 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its Annual Review of Casework 2023/24. This report highlights the importance of ‘intelligent transparency’, and its role in strengthening public trust…

OSR Publishes its Final Report on the Review of the Statistics Collected on Gender Identity During the England and Wales Census

12 September 2024 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its final report on the review of statistics on gender identity, based on data collected as part of the 2021 England and…

How Government can support the statistics system to be at its best now and in the future

3 September 2024 — Statement

Embedding transparency in the use and release of statistics and data We want the government to bolster public confidence in the use of analytical evidence across government by adopting an…

OSR welcomes the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) report refreshing a public vision for statistics

18 July 2024 — Press release

The RSS has recently published its report ‘Public Statistics’, outlining a fresh approach and vision for statistics to serve the wider public good. It highlights the importance of starting with…

The UK Statistical System: OSR’s latest views on innovation, challenges and unlocking the power of data through sharing and linkage

17 July 2024 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published its latest annual report that provides an objective analysis of the UK’s statistical system, its current state, and its future direction.…

OSR publishes findings and requirements for ONS to enhance their Admin-Based Population Estimates (ABPEs)

15 July 2024 — Press release

Today, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published initial findings on the new methods that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are developing to produce population estimates for Engand…

The 5th Winner is Announced for the Statistical Excellence Award in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value 2024

10 July 2024 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation is delighted to announce the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as winner of the Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, awarded in partnership…

Statement on the presentation of political support statistics

19 June 2024 — Statement

Since the start of the 2024 UK general election campaign, we have received several cases regarding the presentation of political support statistics in election campaign material – in particular, the use of…

OSR highlights the importance of transparency in election claims

6 June 2024 — Statement

On Tuesday 4 June, the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority Sir Robert Chote wrote to leaders of political parties to ask that their parties and candidates use statistics appropriately and…

OSR publishes report on the quality of police recorded crime statistics for England and Wales

16 May 2024 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published a report on the quality of the police recorded crime statistics for England and Wales, which are produced by the Office…

OSR Publishes 2024-25 Business Plan

18 April 2024 — Announcement

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its 2024-25 Business Plan setting out it’s priorities for the coming year. As a regulator, we are separate and independent from…

New OSR report calls on government to show leadership when producing and using analytical evidence

27 March 2024 —

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published a new report on analytical leadership in government. It looks at how analytical leadership can be demonstrated and enabled across government…

OSR Review of re-introduced LFS-derived Labour Market Statistics

21 March 2024 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published a review following the reintroduction of Labour Force Survey (LFS)-derived Labour Market Statistics, produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). …

OSR publishes new guidance on collecting and reporting data about sex and gender identity in official statistics

29 February 2024 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published new regulatory guidance on collecting and reporting data about sex and gender identity in official statistics.

OSR and the Royal Statistical Society launch 5th TQV Code of Practice Award for 2024

31 January 2024 —

We are now accepting entries for our 2024 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality & Value, awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World. The award recognises…

OSR publishes review of ONS statistics on profitability of UK companies

18 January 2024 — Press release

OSR has completed a quality-focused assessment on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) output on Profitability of UK companies and Gross Operating Surplus of UK private non-financial corporations (GOS). This…

Help shape OSR’s priorities for next year and beyond

18 December 2023 — Press release

The year ahead Our latest business plan, published in April 2023, details our activities to help us deliver on the priorities you helped us shape, and our ultimate vision, that…

OSR updates on Mental Health Statistics Review in England

12 December 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published a follow-up to our review of mental health statistics in England, initially published in September 2020. This short report updates on…

OSR updates on ONS’s progress with the transformation of international migration statistics

7 December 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published an update on the progress that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made on implementation of their recommendations. ONS has…

OSR publishes its findings on revisions of estimates of UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

29 November 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published a review of the preparation and release of revisions to UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates, that are produced by the Office for…

Improving transparency of Welsh Government’s 20-mph speed limit data

23 November 2023 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation has today written to the Welsh Government about how it can better support users to understand the impacts on journey times given the introduction of…

OSR publishes its findings on response rate challenges in ONS’s Labour Market Statistics

14 November 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation has published a review of experimental Labour Market Statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics. Following ONS’s decision to replace its planned LFS-derived…

OSR sets out expectations for ongoing research into Census Gender Identity statistics

9 October 2023 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has today published an interim report as part of its review of statistics on gender identity based on data collected as part of the…

OSR sees continued public interest in our work to safeguard statistics in public debate

26 September 2023 —

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation has published its Annual Review of Casework, that continues to demonstrate enduring public interest in the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics. The Office…

OSR confirms the National Statistics designation of Scotland’s Census 2022

14 September 2023 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is pleased to confirm that Scotland’s Census 2022 complies with the Code of Practice for Statistics and has National Statistics status, with the first…

OSR to undertake a review of practices around estimates for GDP

6 September 2023 — Press release

Following publication by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of indicative impacts from the annual update of its estimates of UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the ONS has asked the Office for…

Review of the Code of Practice for Statistics

17 August 2023 — Announcement

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is undertaking a review of the Code of Practice for Statistics, to ensure it continues to effectively serve the production and regulation of government…

OSR launches review of the quality of police recorded crime statistics

20 July 2023 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has started an in-depth quality review of police recorded crime statistics, focusing on the statistics for England and Wales produced by the Office for…

OSR publishes report with recommendations to encourage better data sharing and linkage for the public good

12 July 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published its report on data sharing and linkage across government. For the last five years, OSR has been monitoring and commenting on data…

OSR Publishes Progress Report on ONS’s Transformation of the Labour Force Survey

11 July 2023 — Press release

The Office of Statistics Regulation (OSR) has published a report on the progress made by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on its Transformation of the Labour Force Survey (TLFS).

The 2023 Winner is announced for the Statistical Excellence Award in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value

6 July 2023 —

We are proud to announce Fable Data as winner of the Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, awarded in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World. This is…

Assessment of Producer Price Inflation Statistics is Published

6 July 2023 — Press release

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) has completed its first quality-focused assessment, of the Producer Price Indices (PPIs), produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Producer price inflation statistics…

OSR welcomes Oflog’s commitment to Trustworthiness, Quality and Value (TQV)

4 July 2023 —

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) today welcomed the commitment made by the Office for Local Government (Oflog) to apply Trustworthiness, Quality and Value (TQV) for its Local Authority Data…

OSR Shares Insights on the Statistics System with Expectation of Increasing Challenges over this Coming Year

28 June 2023 — Press release

Today the Office for Statistics Regulation has published its 2022/23 State of the Statistical System Report. The UK statistical system continues to perform strongly, responding to different social and economic issues…

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…