Authority Assessment:One year on

Neil JacksonUK Statistics Authority

Scotstat Annual Conference, 1 Nov 2010

Coverage of presentation

• Assessment and Trustworthiness

• Published Assessment Reports

• Impact of assessment

• Emerging findings

• Forward plans

Designation

Statistics…

• Meet identified user needs

• Are produced, managed and disseminated to high standards

• Are well explained

Published Assessment Reports

Scottish Government 9

Information Services Division 5

Northern Ireland 5

Welsh Assembly Government 3

UK Government Departments 26

Office for National Statistics 10

Other 7

Total 65

Published reports for Scottish Government

Recorded Crime in Scotland Jun-09

The Scottish Health Survey Sep-09

Scottish House Condition Survey Sep-09

Scottish Crime and Justice Survey Sep-09

Statistics on Children Looked After by Local Authorities in Scotland Oct-09

Scottish Household Survey outputs Dec-09

Scottish Labour Market Statistics Dec-09

Schools for Scotland Jul-10

Statistics on Transport in Scotland Oct-10

Other published reports for Scotland

Statistics on Cancer in Scotland May-10

Statistics on Cancer Screening in Scotland May-10

Statistics on NHS Scotland Workforce May-10

NHS Waiting times, Scotland Jul-10

Statistics on Prescribing in Scotland Oct-10

Special Assessment of the 2011 Censuses in the UK: Phase 1 Mar-10

Requirements made in first 50 Assessment reports

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Frankness and accessibility

Meeting user needs (including user engagement)

Release practices

Sound methods and assured quality

Impartiality and objectivity

Use of administrative sources

Confidentiality

Proportionate burden

Resources

Integrity

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Number of Requirements

Emerging Findings

• Need for more systematic engagement with users

• Needs a clearer understanding of the uses made of official statistics

• Better documentation of strengths and weaknesses of statistics in relation to their uses

• Scope to enhance the presentation of the statistics and the accompanying commentary

Principle 1: Meetings User Needs

• Practice 1: Engage effectively with users of statistics to promote trust and maximise public value

• Practice 2: Investigate and document the needs of users of official statistics, the use made of existing statistics and the types of decisions they inform

Recommendations from Strengthening User Engagement

• National Statistician to lead consultations on how best to use web technology … to enhance the accessibility of official statistics

• Improve communications between statistical experts and journalists

• A web-based forum to enable users to communicate more easily and openly;

• Producers to work more actively with the Statistics Users Forum

Website

Statistics Authorityhttp://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/

Questions?