System Catalyst
What we did
We will be a system catalyst, identifying key cross-cutting issues to drive improvement and ensuring statistics meet user needs in a resource-constrained world. We are doing this by providing insight to support, influence and guide; raising systemic issues; monitoring and sharing best practice; and drawing attention to emerging innovations and emerging risks.
Two major pieces of work provide this support: the Code of Practice, which guides OSR’s regulatory work, and our annual State of the System (SOSS) report, which identifies risks, good practice and important issues across the statistical system. In 2025-26, our SOSS report focused on ONS’s economic statistics, and the comparability of UK statistics.
In October 2025, we released The Code of Practice for Statistics 3.0, following extensive stakeholder consultation. During its launch, we spoke at 42 sessions, reaching nearly 3000 people across events. We talked to government analysts, users and other stakeholders, including bodies outside of government considering applying the Code voluntarily. Our Code website had 12,876 active users and 83,526 user engagements in 2025/26.
Our 6th annual award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, hosted in partnership with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and Civil Service World, was awarded to Mental Health Innovations (MHI).
Back to topCase examples
ONS Economic Statistics Review
In July 2024 we initiated a systemic review of economic statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We published an interim report in April 2025, and a final report in November 2025.
The review identified significant concerns including around data quality and transparency of prioritisation and set urgent requirements for ONS’s recovery.
At our request, ONS has published two quarterly progress updates, and we have publicly responded. The latest update demonstrates genuine and welcome progress and recognised signs of stabilisation, greater transparency, stronger governance and more proactive engagement with users. However, critical challenges and risks remain, and are transparently acknowledged by ONS, particularly in respect of sustaining quality, delivering the Transformed Labour Force Survey, implementing the new Statistical Business Register, and fully recovering response rates across social surveys.
Comparability
Our review of the adequacy of UK-wide comparable statistics and data provides a framework that will help the UK statistical system address the demand for UK-wide comparable statistics and data on priority topics.
The review was carried out in response to a recommendation in the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC)’s report Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base, which set out the challenges and opportunities in obtaining comparable data across the four nations of the UK. This issue was also covered in detail in the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority, led by Professor Denise Lievesley. In addition, two of the four high-level priorities identified by users at the UK Statistics Assembly relate to improving the comparability of data and statistics. These reviews, and the views of users expressed at the UK Statistics Assembly, clearly set out the need for change.
Our review provides recommendations and a framework to help the Government Statistical Service (GSS), led by the Inter-Administration Committee (IAC), to deliver a step change in providing UK-wide comparable statistics and data on agreed priority topics.
Since publication, the review has informed the Government’s response to Recommendation 5 of the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority. It has provided regulatory evidence on the challenges in achieving UK‑wide comparable statistics and data, supporting action now underway across the statistical system led by the UK Statistics Authority.
Back to topTestimonials
The Code is the essential foundation for our statistical system, underpinning the public trust society relies on by clearly communicating what matters when working with data, and driving up standards.
It’s genuinely encouraging to see how many of the issues raised in [two dedicated roundtables with the OSR] are reflected in the revised Code, including the need for stronger user engagement. This direct line from member input to policy change shows the strength and influence of the statistical community when we speak together. We also submitted a formal response to the consultation, underlining our call for users to be placed at the heart of decision-making.
Dr Sarah Cumbers, CEO of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) (Excerpts from Guest Blog, November 2025)
“The Code is really important in underpinning the importance of statistics that are trustworthy, and that’s essential for our democracy.” For Denise, the Code is also a practical tool: “I use it in an advocacy role because I’m trying to ensure that people understand why statistics are critical, the relationship between trust and trustworthiness, and what we do when something goes wrong.”
Denise comments on this development: “I value the new version because it highlights the importance of users and recognises that trust in statistics is a shared responsibility across the wider community.”
Denise Lievesley, CBE, (Excerpts from Guest Blog, March 2026)
Rather than seeing the Code as telling us what we can’t do, I see it as an enabler to tell us what we can. In other words, it is a key that facilitates the practical release of statistics that provide value for society rather than a lock that prevents us from being responsive and innovative. And this is equally true for the existing version of the Code of Practice and the draft Code 3.0.
Paul Matthews, Head of Profession for Statistics, Scottish Government (Excerpts from Guest Blog, March 2026)