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145

 

House of Commons

 
 

Tuesday 13th March 2007

 

Report Stage Proceedings

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, As Amended

 

New Clauses

 

Access to the Prime Minister

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Withdrawn  nc1

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘The National Statistician shall have right of direct access to the Prime Minister

 

on any matter involving the integrity of official statistics or a dispute with a

 

government department regarding official statistics.’.

 

 

Functions and objectives of the Board

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not selected  nc2

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The functions and objectives of the Board shall include—

 

(a)    

supervising the production and release of official statistics for the public

 

good;

 

(b)    

promoting and safeguarding good practice in relation to official statistics

 

with the goal of ensuring that, wherever possible, such statistics are

 

produced and released according to the highest standards of quality,

 

integrity and impartiality and are free from political interference;

 

(c)    

promoting the comprehensiveness of official statistics;

 

(d)    

monitoring the activities of the National Statistician; and

 

(e)    

monitoring and assessing compliance with the Code of Practice referred

 

to in section 10 by the authorities falling under the provisions of section

 

6(1)(a).

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

146

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

(2)    

The Board shall not be directly involved in production of statistics.’.

 

 

Role and objectives of the National Statistician

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  nc3

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The role and objectives of the National Statistician shall include—

 

(a)    

producing statistics;

 

(b)    

co-ordinating statistical planning and production across government

 

departments; and

 

(c)    

promoting consistency in the production of statistics across the United

 

Kingdom.

 

(2)    

The National Statistician shall be the Government’s chief advisor on statistics,

 

including on matters relating to the planning, production and quality of official

 

statistics.

 

(3)    

The National Statistician shall provide professional leadership to all persons

 

within government who are engaged in statistical production or release.’.

 

 

Legal obligation to obey the code of practice

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Negatived on division  nc4

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘The Board, the National Statistician, government departments, the Scottish

 

Administration, Welsh Ministerial authorities, Northern Ireland departments and

 

any other person acting on behalf of the Crown in the production or publication

 

of official statistics shall—

 

(a)    

comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics; and

 

(b)    

consult the Board on matters of interpretation of the Code where

 

appropriate.’.

 

 

Dr Vincent Cable

 

Julia Goldsworthy

 

Withdrawn  40

 

Page  14,  line  40  [Clause  36],  at end insert—

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

147

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

‘(1A)    

Personal information under subsection (1) shall not be used except in relation to

 

the exercise of any of the functions of the Board and the National Statistician.’.

 

Dr Vincent Cable

 

Julia Goldsworthy

 

Not called  41

 

Page  14,  line  40  [Clause  36],  at end insert—

 

‘(1A)    

Personal data may be disclosed by the National Statistician under subsection

 

(1)—

 

(a)    

to approved researchers;

 

(b)    

to other authorities for uses consistent with the functions of the Board and

 

the National Statistician under the provisions of sections 48 to 50;

 

(c)    

with the consent of the person to whom it relates;

 

(d)    

under a community obligation for statistical purposes; and

 

(e)    

to service providers under the provisions of section 38.’.

 

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  24

 

Page  15,  line  12  [Clause  36],  at end insert ‘and only where the information is being

 

made available for statistical purposes’.

 

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

 

Agreed to  60

 

Page  15,  line  19  [Clause  36],  at end insert—

 

‘(fa)    

is made, in the interests of national security, to an Intelligence Service,’

 

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

 

Agreed to  27

 

Page  15,  line  23  [Clause  36],  leave out from ‘access’ to end of line 24 and insert ‘,

 

for the purposes of statistical research, to personal information held by it.’.

 

 

REMAINING NEW CLAUSES

 

Pre-release access to official statistics

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Negatived on division  nc5

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

The Board shall prepare, adopt and publish a Code of Practice for the pre-release

 

of official statistics.

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

148

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

(2)    

The Board may at any time revise the Code of Practice for the pre-release of

 

official statistics and, if decides to do so, must publish the Code as revised.

 

(3)    

In preparing or revising the Code of Practice for the pre-release of official

 

statistics, the Board must consult—

 

(a)    

the authorities responsible for the production and release of official

 

statistics falling under the provisions of section 6(1)(a), and

 

(b)    

such other persons as it thinks fit.

 

(4)    

The Code of Practice for the pre-release of official statistics shall have regard to

 

the following matters—

 

(a)    

the circumstances in which, or descriptions of statistics in relation to

 

which, pre-release access may or may not be granted;

 

(b)    

the persons, or descriptions of persons, to whom pre-release access may

 

be granted;

 

(c)    

the period, or maximum period, during which pre-release access may be

 

so granted;

 

(d)    

the conditions subject to which pre-release access may be granted.

 

(5)    

The Board shall publish annually—

 

(a)    

a list of statistics to which pre-release access has been granted under the

 

provisions of the Code of Practice for the pre-release of official statistics

 

and the dates of publication; and

 

(b)    

a list of all persons granted pre-release access under the provisions of the

 

Code of Practice for the pre-release of official statistics.

 

(6)    

The Board, the National Statistician, government departments, the Scottish

 

Administration, Welsh Ministerial authorities, Northern Ireland departments and

 

any other person acting on behalf of the Crown in the production or publication

 

of official statistics shall—

 

(a)    

comply with the Code of Practice for the pre-release of official statistics;

 

and

 

(b)    

consult the Board on matters of interpretation of the Code where

 

appropriate.’.

 

 

Establishment of a Commission for Official Statistics

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not selected  nc6

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

There shall be a commission named the Commission for Official Statistics (in this

 

Act referred to as “the Commission”) for—

 

(a)    

determining the funding of the Board; and

 

(b)    

scrutinising the funding of the production of national statistics and

 

official statistics.

 

(2)    

Notwithstanding (1)(b) the Commission will not have the power to scrutinise the

 

funding of those statistics produced by—

 

(a)    

the Scottish Administration,

 

(b)    

the Welsh Assembly Government, or

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

149

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

(c)    

a Northern Ireland Assembly.

 

(3)    

The Commission shall consist of six members of the House of Commons

 

appointed by the House of Commons and six Members of the House of Lords

 

appointed by the House of Lords, none of whom shall be a Minister of the Crown.

 

(4)    

The Commission shall, from time to time, present to each House of Parliament a

 

report on the exercise of its functions.

 

(5)    

Schedule (Commission for Official Statistics) to this Act shall have effect as

 

regards the Commission.’.

 

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Withdrawn  2

 

Page  2,  line  6  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mr Alex Salmond

 

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

 

Stewart Hosie

 

Adam Price

 

Angus Robertson

 

Hywel Williams

 

Not called  49

 

Page  2,  line  6  [Clause  3],  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

at least one person appointed by Scottish Ministers.’.

 

Mr Alex Salmond

 

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

 

Stewart Hosie

 

Adam Price

 

Angus Robertson

 

Hywel Williams

 

Not called  57

 

Page  2,  line  6  [Clause  3],  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

at least one person appointed by Welsh Ministers.’.

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  3

 

Page  2,  line  7  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mr Alex Salmond

 

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

 

Stewart Hosie

 

Adam Price

 

Angus Robertson

 

Hywel Williams

 

Not called  50

 

Page  2,  line  10  [Clause  3],  leave out paragraph (a).

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

150

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  4

 

Page  2,  line  10  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mr Alex Salmond

 

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

 

Stewart Hosie

 

Adam Price

 

Angus Robertson

 

Hywel Williams

 

Not called  58

 

Page  2,  line  12  [Clause  3],  leave out paragraph (b).

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  5

 

Page  2,  line  12  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  6

 

Page  2,  line  14  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  7

 

Page  2,  line  16  [Clause  3],  leave out ‘Treasury’ and insert ‘Cabinet Office’.

 

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

 

Agreed to  25

 

Page  2,  line  42  [Clause  4],  leave out ‘has misbehaved’ and insert ‘is unfit for office

 

by reason of misconduct’.

 

 

Dr Vincent Cable

 

Julia Goldsworthy

 

Not called  42

 

Page  3  [Clause  5],  leave out lines 18 and 19 and insert—

 

‘(b)    

employed to operate independently of the Board with scrutiny and

 

oversight of the role provided by the Board.’.

 
 

Report Stage Proceedings: 13th March 2007                

151

 

Statistics and Registration Service Bill, continued

 
 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  8

 

Page  3,  line  38  [Clause  6],  leave out ‘Board’ and insert ‘National Statistician’.

 

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  9

 

Page  4,  line  21  [Clause  7],  leave out subsection (1).

 

Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer

 

Agreed to  48

 

Page  4,  line  21  [Clause  7],  leave out from beginning to end of line 22 and insert—

 

‘(1)    

In the exercise of its functions under sections 8 to 19 the Board is to have the

 

objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of

 

official statistics that serve the public good.

 

(2)    

In subsection (1) the reference to serving the public good includes in particular—

 

(a)    

informing the public about social and economic matters, and

 

(b)    

assisting in the development and evaluation of public policy.

 

(3)    

The Board is accordingly, in the exercise of its functions under sections 8 to 19,

 

to promote and safeguard—’.

 

Mr Michael Fallon

 

Not called  1

 

Page  4,  line  22  [Clause  7],  after ‘safeguarding’, insert ‘for the public good’.

 

Dr Vincent Cable

 

Julia Goldsworthy

 

Not called  43

 

Page  4,  line  39  [Clause  8],  at end insert—

 

‘(4)    

The Board shall have responsibility to monitor and assess the performance of the

 

National Statistician against the assigned responsibilities.’.

 

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  16

 

Page  5,  line  11  [Clause  10],  leave out ‘National’ and insert ‘Official’.

 

Mrs Theresa Villiers

 

Mr Mark Hoban

 

Mr David Evennett

 

Not called  17

 

Page  5,  line  19  [Clause  10],  at end insert—

 
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