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 report in November 2025.
OSR judges that the report provides evidence that ONS is meeting the immediate requirements set out in the interim and final reports of its systemic review. We have made three further recommendations for ONS to implement:
- Future updates should be more succinct, accessible and user focused.
- ONS should provide more disaggregated cost analysis for major outputs in its business planning processes.
- The next quarterly update should include further information on quality reviews, recruitment and retention, and legacy systems.
There have been early successes, including the resumption of regular publications of producer price statistics, the restoration of response to the Labour Force Survey to near pre-pandemic levels and the publication of a successful Blue Book update.
Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, said:
“We have seen early progress in the delivery of ONS’s ambitious and demanding recovery plans. However, the quality challenges ONS faces are substantial, and it will take time to restore confidence.
The increased transparency shown by ONS marks a genuine and welcome cultural shift. Building on this, ONS will need to show sustained prioritisation, clarity of purpose and realism as it continues its recovery work.”
Notes to editors
- Here is OSR’s final economics statistics report published in November 2025. This followed the initial review published in April 2025.
- Here is ONS’s strategic improvement update.
- The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) provides independent regulation of all official statistics produced in the UK, and aims to enhance public confidence in the trustworthiness, quality and value of statistics produced by government. OSR regulates statistics by setting the standards official statistics must meet in the Code of Practice for Statistics. We ensure that producers of official statistics uphold these standards by conducting assessments against the Code. Those which meet the standards are given accredited official statistics status, indicating that they meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and value. We also report publicly on systemwide issues and on the way that statistics are being used, celebrating when the standards are upheld and challenging publicly when they are not. OSR is independent from government ministers, and separate from producers of statistics, including the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
- OSR’s Director General, Ed Humpherson, reports directly to the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority Board. The Director General, and OSR, have wide discretion in highlighting good practice and reporting concerns with the production and use of statistics publicly. OSR’s work is overseen by the Board’s regulation committee (made up of non-executive directors, and with no statistical producer in attendance). OSR’s budget is proposed by the Board’s regulation committee and endorsed by the Board.
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