Examination of Witnesses (Questions 95
- 99)
WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2001
SIR JOHN
KINGMAN AND
MS GILL
EASTABROOK
Chairman
95. Sir John, welcome back to the Sub-committee.
I think it is almost exactly a year since you last appeared, I
sense that is probably about right, that kind of interval. Perhaps
you would be good enough to identify yourselves formally for the
record.
(Sir John Kingman) I am John Kingman,
the Chairman of the Statistics Commission, and on my right is
Gill Eastabrook, the Chief Executive of the Commission.
96. You are very welcome. When you first appeared
before us you had only just been set up. Are you generally satisfied
with the progress over the last year?
(Sir John Kingman) No, I am not. I think we have been
frustrated by a number of factors, of which the most important
is certainly the non-appearance of the code of practice.
97. Any other frustrations over the last year?
(Sir John Kingman) Oh, yes. You know from our Annual
Report that we have had difficulty getting responses on some matters
from the Office for National Statistics. We have made representations
about that. There have been a number of other minor factors but
we have not got as far as we would have liked after 17 months.
Until we get the code of practice we are very much held back in
what we can do.
98. You are dependent, are you not, simply on
the producers of the statistics?
(Sir John Kingman) Of course.
99. You refer to issues that cause you concern
in your report and you do point out that they can substantially
delay your work.
(Sir John Kingman) Yes.
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