Dear Mr Logan, Thank you for your email of 5 September to the Acting National Statistician regarding comments by the former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that drew comparisons between England and Scotland’s water industry regulation. I respond on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority’s Regulation Committee, which oversees the independent […]
Dear Mr Balfour Thank you for your letter raising your concerns about the Scottish Health and Wellbeing Census (HWBC). Many of the issues about data governance and sharing procedures discussed by your constituents are out of remit for the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) and fall within the remit of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). […]
Dear Mr O’Kane, Thank you for your letter expressing concern about statements made by both the current and previous Scottish First Minister that Scottish National Party (SNP) policies are “lifting” an estimated 100,000 children out of poverty. Under the principles of intelligent transparency, it is always advisable to think how an average person would interpret […]
Dear Mr Holden, Thank you for your letter of 6 June regarding the Labour Party’s analysis of Conservative Party commitments and its own plans. In my recent letter to political parties, I asked that parties and candidates use statistics appropriately and transparently during this general election campaign and made clear why these expectations are in the […]
Dear Lord Bailey, Thank you for your letter to the National Statistician regarding the Mayor of London’s use of housing statistics in a LabourList article from March 2024. This was passed to the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority. The Mayor’s comments appear to draw from the Greater London Authority’s […]
Dear Ms Smyth, Thank you for your letter of 10 May regarding a statement made by the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP, who said “we’ve cut waiting lists for five months in a row”. This was made in a video posted by the Department of Health and Social Care […]
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, has written to the leaders of the UK’s political parties reminding them of their duties to use statistics responsibly during the election period, 4 June 2024. To: Leaders of UK political parties (full list of recipients at the bottom of this letter) I am writing to […]
Dear Ms Olney, Thank you for your letter regarding statements by the Chancellor about changes in the tax burden. Specifically, you expressed concern that: During his budget speech on 6 March, the Chancellor said “Today, in contrast, a Conservative Government brings down taxes”. On 7 March, during an interview with BBC Radio Scotland, the Chancellor […]
Dear Ms Phillips, Thank you for your letter of 24 April regarding the use of crime statistics by the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, and the Home Office. You asked us to investigate the following statements about changes in the level of crime since 2010: “Since 2010, violent crime is down 51%. Neighbourhood crime is […]
On 01 May 2024, our chair, Sir Robert Chote wrote to Andrew Gwynne MP regarding comments made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 7 March, during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. During this interview, the Chancellor said: “On social care, in my first Autumn Statement I put up the budget by nearly […]