The current landscape

Demand

Heads of Profession (who are accountable for professional statistical matters in departments and agencies) have told us that demands on the system vary across producers, either remaining relatively stable or increasing. Single high-profile issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine in previous years, have had less impact on the system than before. Instead, the demands on the system are more wide ranging, and include a broader range of issues and demand for high-frequency data and data dashboards within government departments.

The system has responded to meet increasing demand for local area statistics that can be used to understand differences between areas and policy impacts. Some demands have been for new data, while others have been for data to be presented in ways that are more usable and accessible. Examples of good practice include the Office for Local Government (Oflog) Local Authority Data Explorer and ONS’s Explore Local Statistics project.

A demand for new statistics that give insight into the experience of different groups in society has also emerged. Areas of focus here include:

• the first statistics from ONS’s new Veterans’ Survey, launched in 2022 to gain a better understanding of the experiences of veterans and their families
• Home Office-produced analysis and metrics on racial disparity in stop and search in England and Wales to meet actions set out in the Inclusive Britain report
• new statistics from the Department for Education on Children Missing Education and Elective Home Education, filling an important data gap

Sharing and linking datasets has enabled new policy insights. For example, a collaborative project using the Integrated Data Service examined differences in Welsh language ability in the Census 2021 and in surveys. The outputs are informing policy development and future approaches to collecting these data.

Reflecting increases in costs across the public sector, many producers have told us that they are facing demands for new products and insight, often with fewer financial and staff resources. We would like to see more information made publicly available about the numbers, skills and resources that the GSS has at its disposal. This would make it easier for users to understand the pressures the system faces and how these are changing over time. Heads of Profession have also raised concern about recruiting and retaining staff with the right skills. Departmental recruitment controls, ensuring workers have the right coding and automation skills and differential pay across different related specialisms have all been identified as challenges.

The mix of continued demand for new and innovative statistics and financial constraints means that producers are increasingly having to make decisions to cut back, or think about cutting back, on some of the statistics they produce. This can involve reducing the detail of statistics, supporting content and commentary and the frequency of production, or even the cessation of producing some statistics. We have also heard that these resource challenges mean that some important user needs are going unmet.

Producers should continually review the statistics they produce to ensure they deliver value to users. The Code of Practice for Statistics sets out the importance of producers being sufficiently resourced to deliver statistical services that serve the public good. While the system has to respond to financial pressures facing all areas of government, it is essential that core statistics be resourced to deliver public good. We have supported the producers taking these decisions, both through our regular engagement and publishing blog posts with guidance and case studies.

In the best of these producer efforts, user needs and engagement have been front and centre. Health-related statistics producers are reviewing their outputs across organisations, working towards the aim of a joined-up health and social care public narrative, where statistics across different health producers are better aligned and provide complementary statistical products.

Faced with budgetary pressures, at the end of August 2023, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) launched a consultation with proposals to rationalise the statistical outputs produced by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Finance and published its response. NISRA faced a reduction in funding of £1.9m in nominal terms in 2023-24 compared to its opening budget in 2022-2023, a real-terms cut of close to 20%. NISRA used insight learned work from previous engagement and its understanding of user needs to develop proposals, which it then ran by users; this gave NISRA a chance to explain its rationale and receive important feedback on how it could minimise the impact of its proposals on users.

The Government Analysis Function Reproducible Analytical Pipeline (RAP) strategy outlines an approach to improving the efficiency of the production and quality assurance of statistics and analysis, alongside other benefits. Producers have continued to invest in RAP to deliver quality and efficiency benefits.

Government Statistical Service

Last year, we reported mixed views from statistics producers on the identity of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) as part of the broader Government Analysis Function. This theme was also identified in the Lievesley Independent review of the UK Statistics Authority, which noted that some Heads of Profession feel that:

“there has been a sense that the profession had lost some of its status and identity in recent years following the introduction of the Analysis Function”.

Lievesley also noted that:

“there is a perception that resources – including the time and energy of ONS’s leadership – which used to be directed to the GSS alone are now being shared across the wider function”.

This view is reflected in our own engagement with Heads of Profession, the GSS and the Analysis Function. Heads of Profession say that these concerns have been exacerbated by financial constraints both in departments, which means the demand for central support is stronger, and in ONS, which has led to a reduction in the central GSS support available. The practical impact of this is visible in areas like harmonisation, with the size of the ONS team allocated to this work being reduced significantly. We are encouraged to see collaborative working by GSS Heads of Profession, including a community-led approach to some core functions. However, there still needs to be a core of central support. It is good that ONS and Heads of Profession are working to determine a model for GSS central support, within the wider landscape of the Analysis Function, that delivers the most benefit in the context of financial pressures.

We have also seen several welcome and important strategic developments across the GSS over the last year, including work to develop a GSS Vision and GSS Strategic Delivery Plan due for publication later in 2024; the appointment of a Deputy National Statistician responsible for engaging with the GSS; and the appointment of a Deputy Head of the GSS to give greater voice to Heads of Profession. These steps have strengthened the status and identity of the profession, which in turn can help with recruitment, retention and professional development.

Engaging with users

User engagement is fundamental to ensuring that statistics serve the public good. There are many good examples of user engagement across the system. But users have continued to tell us that they would like to see statistics producers engage more widely, listen more (including to experts who can support new developments) and be open and less defensive when facing criticism. The UKHSA has been undertaking a programme of reviews looking in depth at each of its official statistics publications which serve as an example of good practice. The review team has been conducting user surveys, interviews and workshops to gather feedback on the quality, relevance and accessibility of the statistics products. This has helped to identify areas for improvement and actions that will enhance the value of the statistics for the public good.

In developing its migration statistics, ONS has engaged with a range of users, including the migration expert group, individual key stakeholders and the Government Statistical Service Migration Steering Group, and has presented at multiple conferences, including the Migration Statistics User Forum. The Future of Population and Migration Statistics consultation also sought feedback from users to further develop ONS’s understanding of user needs.

Earlier in the report, in the Demand section, we have highlighted good practice by NISRA and the Health and Social Care Statistics Leadership Forum of engagement when seeking to rationalise outputs.

A central conclusion of the Lievesley Independent review of the UK Statistics Authority is that the Authority Board should move into a more visible, ambitious space. The review highlighted that:

“consultations which do take place are sometimes perceived to be somewhat tokenistic and not open to new suggestions and ideas from the user community”.

Lievesley also noted that:

“The UKSA should take a more prominent role in identifying data needs and using this to set the programme for UK statistical priorities thus demonstrating its interests in ensuring that the UK has the data needed for sound decision making across society”.

The review recommends that the UKSA should primarily achieve this by establishing a triennial Statistical Assembly, which will consult widely with statistics users and producers to understand the range of views regarding the priorities and data needs of the UK. It is important that the assembly be able to provide advice that balances user needs with resources, or builds the case for additional investment.

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