Assessment of Defra’s Butterflies in England and Butterflies in the United Kingdom statistics

We are no longer actively seeking views about the following statistics and plan to publish our assessment shortly

We are currently assessing Defra’s Butterflies in England: species of the wider countryside on farmland and in woodland and Butterflies in the United Kingdom: habitat specialists and species of the wider countryside for compliance with the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. 

We want your feedback

The Code of Practice is a regulatory framework based on the trustworthiness, quality, and value of statistics. Capturing the views of users, and potential users, forms an important part of our judgement about the statistics, including their strengths and how they could be improved. 

If you are a user of these statistics, we would love to hear from you. We would be grateful for any response to the following questions:  

  1. What do you use the statistics for? 
  2. Do the statistics meet the level of quality that is required for your needs and how you want to use them? How clear is Defra about the quality of the statistics i.e., their strengths and limitations?    
  3. Are there any data gaps that you believe could be solved by improving these statistics?  
  4. Is the presentation of the statistics (through charts, tables, and commentary) helpful? How could presentation be improved?   
  5. How do you usually access the latest statistics or data, for example, from the Defra website, or from other media? How could access be improved? 
  6. How does Defra engage with you as a user? Are there any areas where you would welcome improved engagement? 
  7. We have upcoming work on Wild bird populations in the UK and UK Biodiversity indicators and would welcome any comments you have on these statistics too.   

We welcome comments on any other aspect of these statistics which you think might be relevant to our assessment. 

We will keep a record of your contact details, emails, and written correspondence with you and notes we record of any meetings with you. These records form an important part of the evidence base to help inform our regulatory judgements. Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle and protect your personal information, your legal rights and who to contact if you have any questions about how your personal information is being used. 

It will be useful for us to share your comments with Defra to enable them to take account of your views. Please could you tell us whether you consent for us to pass on your comments and contact details.  

Please send any feedback to our assessors Catherine A Davies, David Ross, or Gemma Keane.  

Also, if you think there are other user groups we should be talking to about these statistics, please let us know. 

We look forward to receiving your comments by 31 May 2023.