Organisations should assign a Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics who upholds and advocates the standards of the Code, strives to improve statistics and data for the public good, and challenges their inappropriate use.
What you should commit to
T2.1 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should have sole authority for deciding on methods, standards and procedures, and on the content and timing of the release of regular and ad hoc official statistics. This should include: determining the need for new official statistics, ceasing the release of official statistics, and the development of experimental statistics.
T2.2 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should actively advocate the application of the Code pillars of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value to all those involved in producing, publishing and using statistics and data in the organisation.
T2.3 As the principal adviser and accountable officer on statistical matters within the organisation, the views of the Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should be considered in all matters relating to statistics and data.
T2.4 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should encourage collaboration, harmonisation and innovation with other organisations, both inside and outside government and across professional groups.
T2.5 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should challenge the inappropriate use of statistics and data and reflect upon how further misuse can be prevented.
T2.6 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should report to the National Statistician on professional matters, or where in a devolved administration, to the Chief Statistician for the relevant administration.
T2.7 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should report immediately any concerns regarding professional independence and accidental or wrongful release of statistics to the National Statistician. In devolved administrations, the Chief Statistician for the relevant administration should be informed first, except where it is inappropriate to do so.
T2.8 The Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should report any concerns about continuing to meet the principles of the Code to the Director General for Regulation.
T2.9 In rare circumstances, an organisation may not be able to implement a specific practice of the Code. In this situation, the Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics should request an exemption from that practice of the Code from the Director General for Regulation and publish details of the exemption.
Guidance and resources
| Description | Link | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Guidance that sets out the roles and responsibilities of Heads of Profession for Statistics. It also includes a statement of the role of Lead Officials for Statistics and their engagement with the UK Statistical System. | Roles and responsibilities for the statistical Heads of Profession | GSS |
| Producers of official statistics should consider revising, replacing or ceasing to publish statistical outputs whenever it is appropriate to do so to maintain public value. This guidance outlines what you should do when making and implementing these decisions. | Changing or ceasing to publish official statistics | GSS |
| A document that summarises the process to create, update and agree all GSS policies, standards, guidance and strategies. It highlights the process required to upload documents on the Policy Store and the metadata which should be included within them. | Governance for Statistical Policies, Standards and Guidance | GSS |
| The UK Statistics Authority’s 'Statistics for the Public Good' is a five year strategy for the UK official statistics system which sets out our aims, priorities, mission and values. | Statistics for the Public Good | UKSA |
| The final report of the independent review of UK economic statistics, led by Professor Sir Charles Bean of the London School of Economics, was published in March 2016. It considers the challenges of statistical measurement in the modern economy. | Independent review of UK economic statistics: final report | Independent review |
| A framework for organisations applying the Code of Practice to better understand their strengths and limitations and work out what they can do to develop their statistical practice further, with four practice achievement levels. | Statistical Practice Capability Framework | OSR |