Memorandum submitted by the Chief Statistician
of the Scottish Executive
1. My evidence is focused on the Sub Committee's
interest in "the role of statisticians working outside the
Office for National Statistics, in central government and the
devolved administrations"—in relation to the Scottish
Administration, including how the Scottish Administration works
with UK Government on matters of UK wide interest.
A. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
2. The Scottish Administration is responsible
for statistics on all matters that are not reserved in the Scotland
Act and which otherwise fall within its competence.
3. Most Scottish Administration statisticians
work as part of integrated Analytical Services Divisions within
Departments and they are mostly equivalent to those who will remain
within government in the UK proposals.
4. Scottish Ministers agreed to become a
part of the National Statistics Framework from its outset. The
vast majority of Scottish Administration statistics are produced
subject to the National Statistics Code.
5. There is a considerable amount of inter
administration co-operation, set out formally in the Framework
and the Statistics Concordat but taking place in a wide range
of formal and informal ways. We would wish to see that continue.
6. We concur with the UK Government's statement
about devolved responsibilities contained in the Consultation
Document on Statistical Independence and are content with the
arrangements currently in place to consider issues arising of
joint interest.
7. Scottish Ministers have not yet come
to a view on the full range of action they will take on the issues
raised by the UK Government's proposals and related matters arising
out of the need to review the application of the National Statistics
Framework in the Scottish Administration.
B. SUMMARY OF
CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS
FOR PRODUCTION
OF STATISTICS
IN THE
SCOTTISH ADMINISTRATION
8. The Scottish Administration is responsible
for statistics on all matters that are not reserved in the Scotland
Act and which otherwise fall within its competence.
9. Most Scottish Administration statisticians
work in Executive Departments, line managed as part of integrated
Analytical Services Divisions, working closely with policy colleagues.
In that sense and in terms of the type of statistics they produce,
they are mostly broadly equivalent to statisticians working in
UK Government Departments. A few staff work in executive agencies
such as Inspectorates. All are professionally accountable to the
Chief Statistician and are members of the Government Statistical
Service (GSS).
10. In addition:
— There is a fairly small central Office
for the Chief Statistician which produces statistical information
and analysis for corporate purposes and supports the Chief Statistician
in his role of setting and ensuring implementation of professional
standards and practices, recruitment, deployment and professional
development of staff and advice to Ministers on policy on statistics.
— The General Register Office for Scotland
(GROS) produces demographic statistics and is responsible for
the Census of Population. The Registrar General is statistics
Head of Profession for his office.
— Health service statistics are produced
by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) of NHS National
Services Scotland which is an arms length agency and not part
of GSS, under a service level arrangement with the Scottish Executive
Health Department.
C. CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS
UNDER THE
NATIONAL STATISTICS
FRAMEWORK AND
CODE OF
PRACTICE
11. Scottish Ministers agreed from the outset
to be a part of the National Statistics Framework. The Framework
document includes a chapter setting out the specific arrangements
in the Scottish Administration. This was augmented by a later
agreement by Scottish Ministers and the Statistics Commission
to extend the latter's remit to Scottish Administration statistics.
12. Scottish Ministers also agreed to adopt
the Code of Practice. A Compliance Statement on implementation
of the Code and associated Protocols was published[1]
in common with other participants in the National Statistics Framework.
Whilst the Executive reserves the right to determine its own more
detailed arrangements on implementation of the Code, in practice
most of the differences are routine, reflecting the different
organisational arrangements in the Scottish Administration, the
different role of the National Statistician and some relatively
minor operational differences.
13. The vast majority of Scottish Administration
statistics are designated as National Statistics. The designation
was extended to include health statistics produced by ISD at an
early stage. The Executive decided that, as indicated in its Compliance
Statement, all its official statistics will be subject to National
Statistics principles as far as possible.
D. LIAISON BETWEEN
THE SCOTTISH
ADMINISTRATION AND
UK GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
14. Effective liaison between the administrations
on statistics is seen to be important and has continued at a significant
level since devolution.
15. It includes arrangements in place to
consider the needs of UK wide users and the supply of information
between administrations to allow them to meet their own requirements.
16. UK Government requires some Scottish
Administration statistics to allow it to meet international obligations
and a limited number to allow it to support its own reserved functions.
It also produces a number of publications for more general use
on a UK or GB basis. In most cases statistics used for such purposes
have already been published by the Scottish Administration at
least at headline level.
17. The Scottish Administration makes extensive
use of statistics produced by ONS and other UK Government Departments
mainly on the economy, business and the labour market, where these
statistics inform devolved as well as reserved matters. In some
cases the Executive makes use of and publishes more detailed analysis
of such data for Scotland. These statistics are sometimes made
available through what is in effect a joint publication process
with coincident release, but the more usual pattern is for subsequent
release of Scottish data.
18. Executive statisticians play a vital
role in quality assurance of UK Government (mostly ONS) statistics
in these areas. The more detailed analysis we carry out and our
local knowledge are important inputs to quality assessment. We
would view it as vital that such arrangements continue.
19. Beyond that there is a considerable
sharing of best practice and expertise between statisticians in
the administrations. The Executive is dependent on some GSS support
activities mainly provided by the Office for National Statistics.
In turn it also contributes to GSS developments.
20. The principles covering these arrangements
are partly set out in the Concordat on Statistics and partly in
the National Statistics Framework. There are also several service
level and working level arrangements with UK Government departments.
21. At a practical level there are a variety
of arrangements in place. There are UK wide structures that address
National Statistics or Government Statistical Service matters.
The Scottish Executive and GROS are active participants in many
of these structures. Due to resource implications it is selective
in terms of its involvement in specific GSS structures, but is
at least a correspondence member on most.
22. There is also a considerable amount
of joint working on many issues and many joint projects. For example:
— Work on the 2011 Census is being
pursued within the framework of a Joint Statement by the Registrars
General aimed at promoting consistent and coherent outputs across
the UK2[2].
— Development of Neighbourhood Statistics
within the administrations has from the outset been developed
through close links.
— Similarly developmental work such
the Integrated Household Survey has been the subject to beneficial
inter administration working.
— The Executive funds boosts to a number
of UK or GB wide surveys, the largest being the Labour Force Survey.
— Work on the Atkinson review of measurement
of government output has been pursued on a joint basis in Scotland.
23. The Executive is aware of the comments
made by the Statistics Commission in response to the UK Consultation
Document that "The arrangements for the devolved administrations
should reflect the value of consistent information across the
United Kingdom whilst supporting a focus on meeting local requirements
where that is appropriate." Such a commitment is reflected
in the Framework and Concordat. We would be happy to participate
fully in suitable enhanced arrangements.
E. THE SCOTTISH
EXECUTIVE'S
UNDERSTANDING OF
THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THE
DEVOLUTION SETTLEMENT
ON THE
PROPOSALS FOR
STATISTICAL INDEPENDENCE
24. At a broad level our understanding is
the same as indicated in the UK Consultation Document—ie
"that it will be a matter for the Devolved Administrations
to decide what action they might take with respect to their own
responsibilities given the Government's proposed reforms. As agreed
in the Concordat on statistics the Devolved Administrations will
continue to work closely with the UK Government on this matter."
25. We are content with the arrangements
that UK Government have put in place to liaise with devolved administrations
on the Consultation Document.
26. The changes proposed or suggested as
options in the Consultation Document will have implications for
the National Statistics Framework and Code. The Scottish Executive
has not yet determined its initial position, but in any event,
we would expect inter administration discussion on these issues
to continue and are content with the arrangements in place for
this.
Rob Wishart
Chief Statistician
May 2006
1 Available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20843/54401 Back
2
Available at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/census/censushm2011/background/uk-harmonisation.html Back
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