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[AS AMENDED IN PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE] |
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establish and make provision about the Statistics Board; to make provision |
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about offices and office-holders under the Registration Service Act 1953; and |
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Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and |
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consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present |
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Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:— |
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(1) | There is to be a body corporate to be known as the Statistics Board (in this Part |
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(2) | In Gaelic the Board is to be known as Am Bòrd an Staitistig. |
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(3) | In Welsh the Board is to be known as Y Bwrdd Ystadegau. |
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(1) | The Board is to exercise its functions on behalf of the Crown. |
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(2) | Accordingly, the property, rights and liabilities of the Board are property, |
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rights and liabilities of the Crown. |
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(1) | The Board is to consist of executive and non-executive members. |
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(2) | The non-executive members are to be— |
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(a) | the chairman, appointed by Her Majesty, and |
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(b) | at least five other persons appointed by the Treasury. |
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(3) | Before appointing any person under subsection (2)(b) the Treasury must |
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(4) | The persons appointed under subsection (2)(b) must include— |
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(a) | one person who is appointed by the Treasury after consulting the |
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(b) | one person who is appointed by the Treasury after consulting the |
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(c) | one person who is appointed by the Treasury after consulting the |
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Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland. |
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(5) | The Treasury may, after consulting the chairman, designate one of the non- |
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executive members appointed under subsection (2)(b) as deputy chairman. |
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(6) | The executive members are to be— |
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(a) | the National Statistician (see section 5), and |
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(b) | two other employees of the Board, appointed by the non-executive |
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(7) | A person may not be both a non-executive member of the Board and an |
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(1) | A non-executive member of the Board is to be appointed— |
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(a) | for at least one and no more than five years, and |
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(b) | on such other terms and conditions as the person making the |
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(2) | A non-executive member is to hold and vacate office in accordance with the |
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terms and conditions of his appointment, subject as follows. |
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(3) | A non-executive member may resign at any time by notice in writing to the |
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(4) | The person appointing a non-executive member may dismiss him by notice in |
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writing on the grounds that— |
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(a) | the member has been absent from meetings of the Board without |
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permission of the Board for a period of more than three months, |
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(b) | the member is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order (or interim |
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(c) | the member has had his estate sequestrated in Scotland or, under Scots |
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law, has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust |
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(d) | the member has misbehaved, |
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(e) | the member has failed to comply with the terms of his appointment, or |
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(f) | the member is otherwise unable, unfit or unwilling to perform his |
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(a) | a non-executive member ceases to be a member otherwise than on the |
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expiry of his term of office, and |
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(b) | it appears to the Treasury that there are circumstances which make it |
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right for him to receive compensation, |
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| the Board may pay him compensation of an amount approved by the Treasury. |
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(6) | A person who has ceased to be a non-executive member is eligible for re- |
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appointment (on any number of occasions). |
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5 | Executive members and other staff |
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(1) | The Board is to have— |
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(a) | an officer known as the National Statistician, and |
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(b) | an officer known as the Head of Assessment. |
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(2) | The National Statistician is to be— |
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(a) | appointed by Her Majesty, and |
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(b) | employed by the Board on the terms and conditions of his appointment |
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(which may include provision relating to dismissal). |
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(3) | The Head of Assessment is to be— |
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(a) | appointed by the non-executive members of the Board, and |
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(b) | employed by the Board on the terms and conditions of his |
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(4) | The Board is to have such other employees as it may appoint. |
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(5) | The persons appointed under subsection (4) are to be employed on the terms |
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and conditions of their appointment. |
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(6) | The Board may only appoint persons under subsection (4) with the approval of |
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the Minister for the Civil Service as to numbers and terms and conditions of |
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(7) | Service as an employee of the Board is service in the civil service of the State. |
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(8) | The employees of the Board who are appointed members of the Board under |
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section 3(6)(b) are to hold office as members in accordance with the terms and |
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conditions of their appointment as members. |
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Official statistics: introductory |
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(1) | In this Part “official statistics” means— |
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(a) | statistics produced by— |
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(ii) | a government department, |
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(iii) | the Scottish Administration, |
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(iv) | a Welsh ministerial authority, |
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(v) | a Northern Ireland department, or |
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(vi) | any other person acting on behalf of the Crown, and |
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(b) | such other statistics as may be specified by order by— |
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(i) | a Minister of the Crown, |
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(ii) | the Scottish Ministers, |
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(iii) | the Welsh Ministers, or |
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(iv) | a Northern Ireland department. |
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(2) | An order under subsection (1)(b) may in particular specify all, or a description |
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of, the statistics produced or to be produced by a particular person or |
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(3) | Before making an order under subsection (1)(b) an authority referred to in that |
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provision must consult the Board. |
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(4) | The Board must, at least once every financial year, publish a list of statistics |
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which are at the time of publication official statistics by virtue of subsection |
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(5) | In this Part “Welsh ministerial authority” means any of the following— |
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(b) | the First Minister for Wales; |
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(c) | the Counsel General to the Welsh Assembly Government. |
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(1) | In the exercise of its functions under sections 8 to 19 the Board is to have the |
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objective of promoting and safeguarding— |
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(a) | the quality of official statistics, |
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(b) | good practice in relation to official statistics, and |
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(c) | the comprehensiveness of official statistics. |
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(2) | In this Part references to the quality of any official statistics includes— |
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(a) | their impartiality, accuracy and relevance, and |
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(b) | their coherence with other official statistics. |
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(3) | In this Part references to good practice in relation to official statistics includes |
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ensuring their accessibility. |
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General functions relating to official statistics |
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8 | Monitoring and reporting of official statistics |
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(1) | The Board is to monitor the production and publication of official statistics. |
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(2) | The Board may report any concerns it has about— |
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(a) | the quality of any official statistics, |
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(b) | good practice in relation to any official statistics, or |
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(c) | the comprehensiveness of any official statistics, |
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| to the person responsible for those statistics. |
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(3) | The Board may publish its findings or any report under this section. |
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