The UK’s new Code of Practice for Statistics Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation, UK June 2018 Session 8

The Office for Statistics Regulation We regulate all UK’s official statistics We are the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority We set the Code of Practice We assess compliance with the Code

Why change the UK’s Code of Practice? Abundant data Quality concerns Post truth

Statistics at their worst: a walled garden

Our philosophy: The three pillars Trustworthiness Honesty & integrity Independent decision making Orderly release Transparent process & management Professional capability Data governance Quality Suitable data sources Sound methods Assured quality Value Relevance to users Accessibility Clarity & insight Innovation & improvement Efficiency & proportionality People, systems, processes Robust data, method and statistics Statistics that serve the public good

Imagine you are a subsistence farmer – You grow onions You want to vary your diet Who do you trade with? Farmer A: Offers turnips Poor track record Farmer B: Offers turnips Good track record Farmer C: Offers strawberries Good track record

Trustworthiness “Onora O’Neill argued that, rather than aiming to build trust, the task should be to become trustworthy—this means demonstrating competence, honesty and reliability. But you also have to provide usable evidence that allows others to check whether you are trustworthy, which necessitates making yourself vulnerable to the other party.” (Sir David Spiegelhalter)

Quality Quality – statistics should be the best available measure of what they aim to represent, and should not be materially misleading Data sources: Where are the data from and what do they measure? Methods: How are the data processed into statistics? Assurance: What is the assurance that data are robust and reliable?

Value Relevance to users Accessible to all Clarity and insight ..statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens’ entitlement to public information (UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics) Relevance to users Accessible to all Clarity and insight Innovation Efficiency

The Code of Practice: Who is it for? Beneficiaries: People who use statistics to support decisions and judgements Users: Organisations that produce government statistics Users of government statistics Other producers of data and analysis This is your code, your input has been invaluable throughout the process of refreshing the Code – through the Code Stocktake, focus groups and the consultation on the draft Code. It supports your work and helps you understand what is expected of you. Statistics are a public asset, the public must have confidence in them. There is no point in publishing statistics that do not command confidence. So the Code is built around the commitments that support confidence – crystallised into three pillars: Trustworthiness: Confidence in people and organisations that produce statistics and data Quality: Data and methods that produce assured statistics Value: Statistics that support society’s needs for information It provides the foundations for building public confidence

The UK’s new Code of Practice for Statistics Ed Humpherson, Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation, UK June 2018 Session 8