Annex A

Casework management information

As the regulator of official statistics, we do not produce official statistics ourselves, but we voluntarily apply the Code of Practice for Statistics in producing this management information.

The information provided in the table shows the total number of cases considered by UKSA/OSR and the average (mean and median) time from opening to closing a case.

A case is opened when it is received from an external source or an issue is identified by a member of OSR. A case is closed when the issue has been considered and any necessary action has been taken.

The tables below provide the median and mean number of days taken to close a case. This measure is based on calendar days (not working days), so includes weekends and bank holidays. The median is considered the best headline measure as it reflects the typical experience. Regarding the time taken to close a case, cases that were closed on the same day that they were received or identified have a one-day response time, rather than zero.

Casework Summary Management Information 2023/24

Casework numbers

This graph shows the number of cases logged each year from 2008 to 2024. Case numbers remained below 100 cases until 2017–18, after which cases increased reaching a peak in 2022–23 at 372. This year, the number of cases has reduced to 231 but remains higher than pre-pandemic casework numbers. The reduction in casework numbers is likely to be impacted by the reduction in the number of multiple, near-identical complaints on the same issue this year. We had just one such example of multiple complaints, regarding doctors’ pay, in April 2023.

Casework by subject

This graph shows casework correspondence logged by domain subject. Our domain team members are subject matter experts on a specific topic, and so a case relating to that subject will generally be reviewed by that domain. Over the years, we have reorganised and consolidated our domains. When comparing 2022/23 to 2023/24, readers should note that while the “Business, Trade and International Development” and “Other” domains are not directly comparable with 2022/23, we are confident that a comparison can be made. For 2023/24, the Health and Social Care domain received the most casework, while it was the Population and Society domain that received the most casework in the previous year.

Casework by issue type

This graph shows casework correspondence logged by issue type, highlighting concerns with statistics presentation as the most common source of casework for a second year in a row (when there are concerns with how the data, statistics or the supplementary guidance has been presented, including issues with accessibility). “Quality, reliability, trustworthiness” (where there are concerns that data do not meet the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics) was the second most common source of requests for casework in 2023/24.

Alongside this year’s casework report, we are also updating our more-detailed management information from 2019 to 2024. This management information is intended to help us make decisions on casework resourcing and identify patterns or trends in areas we may want to explore further. You cannot make assumptions about the state of the statistical system as a whole from these data.

How to use the management information:

• Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole per cent.
• Not all cases have a “replied on” date (for example, internally generated casework may not result in a physical output). In these cases, we have included the cleared date. This is the date on which the recommendations for taking the casework were signed off by the Director General (DG).
• Internally generated cases are issues that have been noticed by internal staff. The OSR team monitors the use of statistics in public debate, including on social media.
• The categories in this report are provided to give an indication of the areas and issues covered by casework. Sometimes cases could be classified as multiple categories; in these cases, a decision has been made on which category is most relevant. In each case, only one has been selected. As part of a range of process improvements, OSR is looking to develop the categories and make improvements to the management information associated with casework.
• The time taken to complete casework can have a large level of skew, and so, where possible, both the median and the arithmetic mean have been calculated. In order to offset the effects of this skewness, the median is the headline measure used in general.
• Our domains have changed since the creation of the database that we use to log our casework. Where appropriate, we have highlighted where direct comparisons with previous years cannot be made.
• Definitions of themes:
  • Use/Misuse of statistics: concerns that statistics have been used inappropriately or incorrectly in public debate (whether deliberately or not).
  • Presentation: concerns with how the data, statistics or the supplementary guidance has been presented (including issues with accessibility).
  • Availability of statistics: concerns with a statement made in public debate that can’t be replicated as the underlying statistics are not publicly available; identified gaps in data available which are of public interest; or data that were expected to be made available but were not published as expected.
  • Quality, reliability and trustworthiness (including assessment): concerns that data don’t meet the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics. These may result in regulatory work such as compliance checks.
  • Coherence and consistency: concerns with how statistics will be interpreted across users and the public or concerns with coherency and consistency in the way statistics have been produced. This can include changes in methodology that prevents the comparison of statistics over time.
  • Beyond the scope of official statistics: concerns are not related to official statistics; however, we may still look into these concerns if we think we can positively impact the statistical system.
  • Legal (including non-compliance and disclosure): concerns related to legislation (statistical or otherwise) or a possible breach of the law. For example, this could include concerns with data protection.
  • Pre-release: concerns that official statistics have been released, either in part or in full, ahead of the preannounced publication date and time in a way that does not support equality of access.
  • Reduction in coverage or quality (cuts): concerns that data quality or availability is reduced and as a result is no longer meeting the needs of the users.

Download Management information source data 2019-2024