Office for National Statistics
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The '''Office for National Statistics''' (ONS) is the executive office of the [[UK Statistics Authority]], a non-ministerial department which reports directly to Parliament. It is charged with the collection and publication of [[statistics]] related to the economy, population and society of the [[United Kingdom]] at national and local levels. It functions as the office of the National Statistician, who is also the [[UK Statistics Authority]]'s Chief Executive and principal statistical adviser to the UK's National Statistics Institute<ref>'National Statistics Institute' and NSI are a standard expression and its acronym used about statistical services in [[OECD]] & EU terminology</ref> and the 'Head Office' of the Government Statistical Service (GSS).
==Purpose and Scope==
The ONS was formed on [[1 April]] [[1996]] by the merger of the [[Central Statistical Office, UK|Central Statistical Office (CSO)]] and the [[Office of Population Censuses and Surveys]] (OPCS).<ref>John Pullinger (1997) [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0306-7734%28199712%2965%3A3%3C291%3ATCOTOF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage ''"The Creation of the Office for National Statistics"''], ''International Statistical Review'', Vol. 65, No. 3, pp. 291-308</ref>. Following the [[Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007]], the United Kingdom Statistics Authority became a [[non-ministerial department]] on the [[1 April]], [[2008]]<ref>http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/data/independence/thestatisticsact.asp</ref>.
ONS produces and publishes a wide range of the information about Britain that can be used for social and economic policy-making as well as painting a portrait of the country as its population evolves over time. This is often produced in ways that make comparison with other societies and economies possible. Much of the data on which policy-makers depend is produced by ONS through a combination of a decennial population census, samples and surveys and analysis of data generated by businesses and organisations such as the National Health Service and the register of births, marriages and deaths. Both its publications and its publicly-available raw data, available free, are reported and discussed daily in the media as the basis for the public understanding of the country in which they live. The reliance on some of these data by government (both local and national) makes ONS material central to debates about the determination of priorities, the allocation of resources and for decisions on interest rates or borrowing. The complexity and degree and speed of change in the society, combined with the challenge of measuring some of these (e.g. in relation to longevity, migration or illness patterns or fine movements in inflation or other aspects of national accounts) give rise to periodic debates about some of its indicators and portrayals. Many of these rely on sources which are outside of ONS, while some of its own sources need to be supplemented, for example between censuses, by updated but less rigorously-obtained information from other sources. Consequently, unexpected or incomplete data or occasional errors or disputes about its analysis can also attract considerable attention.
==Independence==
[[Gordon Brown]], Chancellor of the Exchequer (now Prime Minister), announced on 28 November 2005,<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051128/text/51128w20.htm#51128w20.html_spnew7 Statement to the House of Commons on the review of the Framework for National Statistics], by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 28 November 2005.</ref> that the government intended to publish plans in early 2006 to legislate to render the ONS and the statistics it generates independent of government on a model based on the independence of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.<ref>[http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget_06/bud_bud06_speech.cfm Budget Statement] made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 22 March 2006</ref> This was originally a 1997 Labour manifesto commitment<ref>[http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/man/lab97.htm Labour Party Manifesto, General Election 1997], Keele University website.</ref> and was also the policy of the Liberal Democrat<ref>[http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/manifesto2005.pdf Liberal Democrats Manifesto General Election 2005].</ref> and Conservative<ref>[http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=126557 ''"Let Parliament appoint new UK statistics chief"''], press release from Conservative Party website.</ref> parties. Such independence was also sought by the [[Royal Statistical Society]]<ref>[http://www.rss.org.uk/pdf/A%20Vision%20for%20National%20Statistics.pdf ''"A Vision for National Statistics"''], Royal Statistical Society.</ref> and the [[Statistics Commission]].<ref>[http://www.statscom.org.uk/uploads/files/reports/LegislationToBuildTrust.pdf ''"Legislation to build trust in statistics"''], a report by the Statistics Commission.</ref>
The [[National Statistician]] would be directly accountable to Parliament through a more widely-constituted independent governing Statistics Board.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmbills/008/en/07008x--.htm ''"Statistics And Registration Service Bill"''], House of Commons Explanatory Note to the Bill, para. 7-8. Retrieved 10 June 2007.</ref> The ONS would be a non-ministerial government department so that the staff, including the Director, would remain as civil servants but without being under direct ministerial control.<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmbills/008/en/07008x--.htm ''"Statistics And Registration Service Bill"''], House of Commons Explanatory Note to the Bill, para. 42. Retrieved 10 June 2007.</ref>
The National Statistician, Karen Dunnell, stated that legislation would help improve public trust in official statistics<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/nsa1106.pdf ''"National Statistician welcomes Statistics and Registration Service Bill"''], news release from ONS website.</ref> although the ONS already acts independently according to its own published guidelines, the National Statistics Code of Practice,<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp ''"National Statistics Code of Practice"''] ONS website</ref> which sets out the key principles and standards that official statisticians, including those in other parts of the government statistical service, are expected to follow and uphold.
The details of the plans for independence were considered in Parliament during the 2006/2007 session and resulted in the [[Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007]].<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200607/statistics_and_registration_service.htm ''"Statistics and Registration Service Bill"''], progress of the Bill through the UK Parliament from Parliament website.</ref> In July 2007, Sir [[Michael Scholar]] was nominated by the government to be the three day-a-week non-executive chairman of the Statistics Board which, to re-establish faith in the integrity of government statistics, will take on statutory responsibility for oversight of UK statistics in April 2008 and oversee the Office for National Statistics. It will also have a duty to assess all UK government statistics. Following Gordon Brown's announcement of new constitutional arrangements for public appointments, Sir Michael also became, on 18 July, the first such nominee to appear before the House of Commons Treasury Committee and to have his nomination subject to confirmation by the House.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/75076a4e-34c7-11dc-8c78-0000779fd2ac.html ''"Whitehall veteran in frame for statistics chief post"''], Financial Times, 18 July 2007.</ref> On 7 February 2008, following the first meeting of the shadow board, it was announced that it will be known as the [[UK Statistics Authority]] (UKSA).
In addition to Sir [[Michael Scholar]], the ''non-executive chairman'', initial members of the board of UKSA are:
''Non-executive members'', appointed in open competition: [[David Rowe-Beddoe|Lord Rowe-Beddoe of Kilgetty]], ''deputy chairman for governance of the Office for National Statistics'', [[Adrian Smith (academic)|Professor Adrian Smith FRS]], ''deputy chairman with responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of all official statistics across the UK'', Professor [[David William Rhind|David Rhind]], previously chairman of the soon-to-be-defunct [[Statistics Commission]], [[Partha Dasgupta]], Sir [[Alan Langlands]], [[Moira Gibb]] & Professor [[Steve Nickell]]. The Authority will also include ''executive members'' from the Office for National Statistics, including its chief executive, the [[National Statistician]], [[Karen Dunnell]] and two other senior officials <ref>[http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=14052 New United Kingdom Statistics Authority starts operations] PublicTechnology.net, 8 February, 2008</ref>.
==Heads of the Office: National Statistician==
Directors are ''de facto'' [[Permanent Secretary|Permanent Secretaries]] but do not use that title. As the ONS previously incorporated the OPCS, the Director was also the [[Registrar General]] for England and Wales, although the recent changes saw the transfer of this function away from the ONS. In addition, he or she is ''ex officio'' the Head of the [[Government Statistical Service]]. The first Director of ONS was [[Professor Tim Holt]]. Subsequent Directors have had an additional title, the [[National Statistician]]. The second Director was [[Len Cook]]. He was succeeded by [[Karen Dunnell]] on [[1 September]] [[2005]]<ref>[http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page8038.asp ''"National Statistician - Director Office for National Statistics"''], 10 Downing Street press notice, 4 August 2005, retrieved 9 June 2007.</ref>. Following the implementation of the Statistics & Registration Service Act, the [[General Register Office]] will continue to become part of a ministerially-accountable department and will become a part of the [[Home Office]]. The title of [[Registrar-General]] will move with it and will no longer be held by the National Statistician.
==Work of the ONS==
Where data is broken down by geographical area, this is usually done by the areas defined in the [[ONS coding system|ONS geographical coding system]].
The principal areas of data collection are:
*Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry
*Commerce, Energy and Industry
*Crime and Justice
*Economy
*Education and Training
*Health and Care (Among numerous regular surveys, such as the General Household survey, the Labour Force Survey and the census that takes place every 10 years, ONS runs the England and Wales Longitudinal Survey, which monitors the health, address changes and fertility of a 1% sample of the population of England and Wales over time for statistical purposes).
*Labour Market
*Natural and Built Environment
*Population and Migration
*Public Sector and Other
*Social and Welfare
*Transport, Travel and Tourism
Statisticians are also employed by many other Government departments and agencies, and these statisticians often collect and publish data. They are members of the ''Government Statistical Service'' and are the professional responsibility of the head of the service, who is also the National Statistician. Each department has a statistical service ''Head of Profession''. For example, data on Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry comes primarily from the [[Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]]. Along with economic data on which the Treasury and Bank of England rely for decision-making, many of the statistics that receive widespread media attention are issued by the Home Office, the [[Department of Health (United Kingdom)|Department of Health]], and the [[Department for Education and Skills]].
Prior to the establishment of the [[UK Statistics Authority]], the statistical work of the ONS has, since June 2000, was scrutinized by the [[Statistics Commission]], an independent body with its own chairman and small staff. This ceased to operate from 1 April 2008. The [[General Register Office]] and the post of [[Registrar-General]] for England & Wales ceased to be part of ONS from that date but remains subject to ministerial accountability within the [[Home Office]].
===The Blue Book===
Annually, the Office for National Statistics publish their findings in the so-called ''Blue Book''. It contains the estimates of the domestic and national product, income and expenditure of the United Kingdom, and is available as hardcopy, as well as a web version.<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/BlueBook2006.pdf United Kingdom National Accounts] - The Blue Book 2006</ref>
===Education of Statisticians===
The Office for National Statistics collaborates with the [[University of Southampton]] in the teaching of a MSc in Official Statistics, the programme has been in running since 2003.<ref>[http://www.socstats.soton.ac.uk/moffstat/ MSc in Official Statistics, University of Southampton.]</ref>
==Office Locations==
[[Image:ONS.JPG|thumb|ONS London office, 1 Drummond Gate]]
The ONS has a head office in the city of [[Newport]], South Wales, and other offices in [[Pimlico]] in [[London]], [[Titchfield]] in [[Hampshire]] and [[Southport]]<ref name=location>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/locations/onsmaps.asp Office for National Statistics: location maps], www.statistics.gov.uk, retrieved 10 June 2007.</ref>. In addition, there is the [[Family Records Centre]] in [[Islington]]<ref name=location>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/locations/onsmaps.asp Office for National Statistics: location maps], www.statistics.gov.uk, retrieved 10 June 2007.</ref>, London, where censuses over 100 years old, electoral registers and indexes to the registers of births, deaths and marriages in England and Wales may be consulted, and copies of census entries and certificates can be purchased.
The London office was the head office until April 2006 when the corporate headquarters was moved to Newport<ref>[http://www.gnn.gov.uk/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.asp?MediaDetailsID=77252 ''"Newport to be ONS headquarters"''], National Statistics news release, 20 September 2004, retrieved 9 June 2007.</ref> following the Lyons Review<ref>[http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations_and_legislation/lyons/consult_lyons_index.cfm#final ''"The Lyons Review: Independent Review of public sector relocation"''], HM Treasury website.</ref> on public sector relocation. Initially, the London office was in three buildings but due to reductions, most London staff are now in 1 Drummond Gate. The main London office is expected to close by April 2010 by which time the ONS policy is for its statistical activities to be concentrated in Titchfield and Newport <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6267087.stm ''"ONS set to close down London HQ"''], news report from the BBC website.</ref> The ONS asserts that recruitment and training of quality staff in South Wales, where data collection and analysis already takes place, will ensure that there is no risk to the quality of its services and that it is managing the risks associated with the changes which it is implementing in a planned and gradual way<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/6653771.stm ''"Stats staff 'quitting' over move"''], news report from the BBC website, 14 May 2007.</ref>. However the plan to discontinue all remaining statistical activity in London is proving controversial amid claims that the shift of functions from London and the impending closure of the London office could have serious implications for the future of certain particular sets of statistics. These include health statistics, National Accounts, Retail and Consumer Prices and Labour Market Statistics. These risks derive from the fact that few of the experienced staff working in these highly technical areas are expected to be willing to relocate to Newport, resulting in a substantial loss of expertise and a consequent threat to the continued quality of the statistics<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/70424-0007.htm Debate on the Statistics and Registration Service Bill] in the House of Lords, 24 April 2007, Hansard, Column 597.</ref>. In a submission to the Parliamentary Treasury Sub Committee, the Bank of England too has expressed concern over the relocation of the ONS to Newport, saying, that ''"the relocation programme poses serious risks to the maintenance of the quality of macroeconomic data. If substantial numbers of ONS staff are unwilling to relocate, the loss of skilled individuals could have a severe impact on a range of statistics."''<ref>[http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/other/monetary/treasurycommittee/onsperformance070509.pdf ''"Bank of England comments on recent ONS performance"''], a submission made by the Bank of England to the Treasury Sub-Committee inquiry into progress on the efficiency programme in the Chancellor's departments, May 2007.</ref><ref> [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6642897.stm ''"Bank warns on ONS move to Wales"''], news report from the BBC website, 10 May 2007.</ref>. The director of ONS has vigorously defended ONS implementation of government policy on civil service relocation and the decision to concentrate staff in the three locations outside London<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/d664845a-1237-11dc-b963-000b5df10621.html ''"Statistics officers get the measure of relocation"''], article by Karen Dunnell, Financial Times, 4 June 2007, retrieved 7 June 2007.</ref>.
==Criticism of the ONS==
[[Len Cook]], when [[National Statistician]], described himself as the country's most abused civil servant<ref>[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtreasy/1289/2103009.htm Minutes of evidence given before the Select Committee on Treasury], 30 October 2002.</ref>. Occasional errors and revisions accounts for some past criticism while the allocation of [[Private Finance Initiative]] expenditure (albeit following [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] and international statistical guidelines according to who carries the risk) has attracted political attention.
Many of the most controversial topics for statistics issued by government do not come from ONS though they are expected to meet ''National Statistics'' standards. Crime statistics and other data (e.g. health and education) that could be deemed to assess the effectiveness of government policies often attract media scepticism. The compulsory nature of the census (unlike most other surveys by academics and market researchers) differentiates ONS from other data collectors (apart from the Inland Revenue). The Office for National Statistics won the [[2004]] [[Big Brother Award]] for the "Most Heinous Government Organisation" from the campaigning organisation [[Privacy International]] for its [[Citizen Information Project]]. The project is one of several that lead the Government's own [[Office of the Information Commissioner|Information Commissioner]] to warn that there is a danger of the country "sleepwalking" into a [[mass surveillance|surveillance society]]<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article470264.ece ''"Beware rise of Big Brother state, warns data watchdog"''], Times Online, 16 August 2004.</ref>. There has also been criticism of the ONS and of the government for its pursuit of government policies for modernization and for relocation to sites outside London. It is not moving to a single site and will continue to perform most of its functions from the 2 sites in Newport and Titchfield while reducing its London operation to one eventual small location.
==See also==
* [[United Kingdom Census 2001]]
* [[Departments of the United Kingdom Government]]
* [[Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]]
==External links==
* [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp Office for National Statistics website]
* [http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk UK Statistics Authority]
* [http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consultations_and_legislation/statistics_bill/statistics_bill_index.cfm Statistics and Registration Service Bill], Treasury website.
*[http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200607/statistics_and_registration_service.htm Statistics and Registration Service Bill], Parliament website.
* [http://www.palgrave.com/ons/ Palgrave Macmillan, official publisher for the Office for National Statistics]
==References==
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